Choral Singing / Baroque Music
JS Bach's Mass in B Minor
Date: Saturday 31 March 2018, 1pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
At the pinnacle of Johann Sebastian Bach's artistry is one of his greatest choral works, the B Minor Mass. Composed over the course of 16 years, it is a compendium of every aspect of Bach’s genius and a profound testament of his faith.
This majestic performance by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, with intimate solo arias and instrumental moments, marks the Easter weekend the timeless power of Bach's music.
Johann Sebastian Bach was a deeply religious man with aesthetic convictions. On July 28, 1750, less than a year after completing B-minor Mass, he died in Leipzig, due to complications from treatment following eye surgery. His body in a humble oak casket was buried in a site unmarked until the mid-19th century. Mozart found revelation in Bach's work reflected in the younger composer's famous unfinished Requiem. But it was not until 1829, during Mendelssohn's revival of Bach's work, in particular, Mendelssohn’s momentous performance of the St. Matthew Passion that secured Bach’s place in history.
Bach's Mass was published in 1845, nearly 100 years after the composer's death. Complete performances followed in Europe. Bach's B-minor Mass is a masterful combination of sublimity and profundity.
From the choir’s first call for God’s mercy, to its final prayer for peace, the B Minor Mass is a trove of musical riches. Weaving together moments of overwhelming majesty with intimate solo arias decorated with intricate instrumental filigree, and outbreaks of dancing joy, the Mass has everything that gives Bach’s music its timeless power.
Bach brings the vividly theatrical language of his passions and cantatas to bear on the ritual of the Catholic mass, discovering ecstatic angelic choruses in the Gloria and piercing dissonances in the Crucifixus. Epic in scope, and all-encompassing, the Mass was never performed in its entirety in Bach’s lifetime – it seems he wanted to create the most perfect example of sacred music. It is a cathedral in sound.
A performance of the B-minor Mass is always an event. Bach calls for large forces for the vibrant and celebratory colours of the orchestra, including the rare oboe d’amore, horns, trumpets and drums. The vocalists must also be virtuosos: some of Australia’s most accomplished early music specialists join the Philharmonia Symphony Chorus and Chamber Singers to make an overwhelming sound. The Choir’s annual Easter-tide Bach celebrations are becoming an essential annual appointment, ‘bringing new insights to old masterpieces’ (Sydney Morning Herald).
Artists:
Brett Weymark conductor
Janet Todd soprano
Sally-Anne Russell mezzo soprano
Andrew Goodwin tenor
David Greco bass
Pre-concert talk: Held 45 minutes prior to the performance in the Northern Foyer, presented in association with Fine Music FM and Sydney Opera House.
Running time: 2 hours and 20 minutes including a 20 minute interval.
Review:
Bach B Minor Mass: grand moments combine with chamber music intimacy. The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH). Accessed 1 April 2018.
Video Credit:
Brett explores the Beauty of Bach's B minor Mass. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. YouTube, uploaded by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed March 8, 2018.
Related Links:
B Minor Mass, Presented by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. YouTube, uploaded by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed March 8, 2018.
Bach - Mass in B minor (Proms 2012). Uploaded by Mandetriens. Accessed March 8, 2018.
Bach - Mass in B Minor | John Eliot Gardiner (2015). Uploaded by Oliver Bel. Accessed March 8, 2018.
Bach's Mass in B Minor: Anatomy of a Masterwork. Uploaded by AmericanBachSoloists. Accessed March 8, 2018.
Bach - Mass in B minor, BWV232 | Philippe Herreweghe Collegium Vocale Gent. Uploaded by EssentialClassical. Accessed March 8, 2018.
Resource:
Bach B Minor Mass. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. (Available on access, March 8, 2018.)
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