The Mass in G major, Poulenc's first work of sacred music, was written in 1937, several years after his father's death to whose memory it is also dedicated. Poulenc sticked to the classical Latin mass, omitting however the Credo and turning thus the work into a missa brevis. The SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, which performs the present recording, was founded in 1946 and is one of the leading international ensembles specialized in the vocal music of the 20th and 21st centuries. The ensemble was awarded the Echo Klassik in both 2011 and 2012 as well as the European Choral Prize of the Pro Europa Cultural Foundation for its pioneering commitment to contemporary vocal music in 2011. In 2013 it was nominated for a Grammy.