Title of piece: “Agnus Dei,” from Missa Latina “Pro Pace”
Date of composition: 2003-05; premiered 2006
Date of recording: 2008
Composer: Roberto Sierra
Performers/Instruments: Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Andreas Delfs, with Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano, and Nathanial Webster, baritone
Form: binary form, featuring tonally and metrically ambiguous setting of the Agnus Dei, followed by a contrastingly tonal and upbeat Alleluia
Tempo: Moderate triple meter, but without a strong sense of beat until the Alleluia (in 4/4)

What to Listen for:

  • Strident dissonance conveying sense of discord and conflict; consonant harmonies to express peace; and special attention given to the words “peccata” (sins), “miserere” (mercy), “pacem” (peace), and “alleluia”
  • Kaleidoscopic variety of contrasts in timbre between voice and instruments, and within the orchestra itself
  • Use of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and percussion at the end to express a distinctively Latin sense of rejoicing
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