High up on the hills above Ponte a Moriano is a transcendentally white building presenting an almost a grail-like vision – indeed it is called the Academy of Montegral and was once the Convento dell’Angelo of the Passionist fathers –  the ones who attracted Lucca’s neglected Saint Gemma so much.

The convent, designed by Lorenzo Nottolini (he of the Ponte delle Catene at Bagni di Lucca and so many others of the finest buildings in the Lucca countryside), and built for the Passionist fathers, still remains their property although, due to falling vocational demand, it is now leased (for 999 years!) to the Academy of Montegral as a finishing school for musicians both vocal and instrumental.

The Academy of Montegral, the brainwave of Maestro Gustav Kuhn, (pupil of Karajan, and, among other prestigious posts, former musical director of Rome opera), was founded in 1992 with the aim of developing a holistic musicianship on a human scale. In 2000 it moved to the convent, reinforcing the idea of a spiritual and cultural musical community. The results show – I doubt if music making can really get much better than this in Lucca province.

It was, therefore, an awesome challenge for the Stereo-tipi choir to audition and then be invited by maestro Kuhn to master classes and, finally, to sing in the Mass for Ascension Day (and Mother’s day, too) on Sunday, 13^th May. (PS A member of this choir, Andrea Salvoni, is our choirmaster at Ghivizzano and some choir members have leading parts in Borgo a Mozzano’s fine music school).

This was the programme of liturgical music:

The challenge was achieved to perfection and we were treated to a liturgical event heightened by great music sung by a choir who I can surely say is one of the very few in the region to reach anywhere near to the high standards of such English choirs as The Sixteen and The King’s singers.

The Spanish composer Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548 –1611) stands in a holy trinity of renaissance polyphonic vocal music composers together with Palestrina and Lassus. Victoria’s ‘Missa Ascendens’ from his middle period is both concise and highly organised with a melodic theme taken from his motet of the same name.

The Stereo-tipi were organised in the choir stalls semi-circularly arranged behind the high altar and almost hidden by it. Yet the genius of architect Nottolini ensured that the acoustics here are quite perfect and the choir rose to spread its fine singing with near-perfect intonation and dynamic range throughout this neo-classical gem.

Each part of the Proper of the Mass gained in stature and the closing Agnus Dei was particularly touched with beauty.

Kuhn always likes to put this melting number at the end of the Mass.

As befits a singing academy the Mass, celebrated by Fr Ottaviano and Giovanni Battista of the Passionist order, had some fine solo performances by Maria Radoeva and Paola Leggeri.

I felt this was one of Kuhn’s most successful contributions to  music for liturgical celebrations in the convent of the Angel. First, the choir stalls were used to full effect. Second, the music to the Mass was all of one piece: a sublime masterpiece by a supreme polyphonic master. Third, the music fitted the day to a T: an Ascension Mass on the Ascension Day of Our Redeemer.

An added bonus was that my wife’s mother, just three years short of her centennial, was with us as befitted the occasion which was also Mother’s day, something celebrated in da Pinzo’s excellent trattoria in Ponte a Moriano where we enjoyed a truly tasty lunch after the Mass in one of Lucca provinces most heavenly churches. (I chose Da Pinzo’s own named pizza).