One could argue that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart set the gold standard for sacred music. His wizardry with instrumental combinations and choral textures was unparalleled in his day, and the utterly transcendent nature of his choral works takes a direct route to the heart. So the Hollywood Master Chorale hit the bull's eye when it decided to devote its Palm Sunday Masterworks in March concert entirely to Mozart, even daring to tackle the towering but rarely performed Litany of the Venerable Sacrament, K. 243. The Litany in E-flat, as it's more commonly known, is considered Mozart's grandest, its enormous harmonic, instrumental and choral range encompassing everything from the sublimely reverent Kyrie to the eerie sounding pizzicato violins, hushed winds and ethereal soprano voices of the Viaticum, and the incredible coloratura aria in the magnificent Agnus Dei. The litany is so spiritually and musically luminous that it's hard to believe Mozart was only 20 when he wrote it. Also on the program: the Regina Coeli, K. 276, described by the master chorale's artistic director Lauren Buckley as a “celestial romp”; an a cappella setting of Jubilate Deo; and the exquisite Ave Verum Corpus, K. 618. At Hollywood Lutheran Church, 1733 N. New Hampshire Ave., Hlywd. Sun., March 24, 7:30 p.m; $20, $15 students & seniors. (323) 960-4349, www.hollywoodmasterchorale.org.

Sun., March 24, 7:30 p.m., 2013

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