Our audience probably associates the early Romantic composer Carl Maria von Weber mainly with his operas, such as the “Freischütz,” but von Weber’s employment at the Dresden court required that he also provide smaller compositions for church services. Although he wasn’t so obligated, he felt the need to compose an actual mass for his employer, the king, and we present what is his first mass, the Missa Sancta I—a grandiose Romantic work, with choir, soloists and full orchestra. Von Weber said he composed it “with love, filled with the greatness of the subject,” “and determined to deliver nothing ordinary or mediocre.” We hope our audience agrees with the king, that von Weber achieved his goal! Von Weber’s music had a profound influence on the young Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn, and we introduce the Missa Sancta I with Mendelssohn’s setting of Psalm 42 (“Wie der Hirsch schreit”).