Almost 150 years ago, on Sunday, 17 May 1874, Brisbane’s Cathedral of St Stephen, although as yet incomplete, received its solemn blessing and dedication.

And so this concert, the first of three, began the final week of the year-long sesquicentenary celebrations.

In introducing the concert, the Most Rev Mark Coleridge, Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, declared St Stephen’s not to be just a building, but a community, and that it is not just a Catholic story, but a story of Brisbane.

The Queensland Symphony Orchestra was augmented by the Brisbane Chamber Choir, the St Stephen’s Cathedral Schola, and soloists Sara Macliver and Sofia Troncoso (sopranos), Andrew Goodwin (tenor), and David Greco (baritone), all under the baton of the QSO’s Chief Conductor, Umberto Clerici.

Mozart’s Mass, Cathedral of St Stephen, Brisbane. Photo © Sam Muller

The concert began with a rollicking trumpet fanfare, Canzon septimi toni No. 1, composed by Giovanni Gabrieli, circa. 1597. Its interwoven sounds, masterfully played, filled the cavernous space with ease, but lost some clarity in the reverberation.

Next came a setting of Psalm 24: The Earth is the Lord’s, by French composer, Marie-Juliette Olga “Lili” Boulanger.

Written in 1916, two years before...