An astonishing contribution to the oldest genre in religious music
Following the Christmas Oratorio and the St John Passion, B’Rock is now venturing into another monument by Bach. His Mass in B-Minor was an astonishing contribution to the oldest genre in religious music: the Latin mass. This composition remained a work in progress for fifteen years. It was conceived in 1733 as a ‘missa brevis’ – limited to a Kyrie and a Gloria – but it expanded into a ‘missa solemnis’ for a five-part chorus, vocal soloists and large orchestra. What is more, the Thomascantor browsed to his heart’s content through his back catalogue of religious and secular cantatas. He slipped the finest passages into this high mass, which reads like a cross-section of his impressive oeuvre. Bach’s Mass in B-Minor is a cathedral with indestructible foundations: it is first redolent with the earlier counterpoint of Palestrina, then with the expressive richness and vitality of the Baroque. This musical milestone also signals a new landmark in the career of B’Rock: the orchestra is for the first time cooperating with the illustrious Balthasar Neumann Chor conducted by Ivor Bolton.
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Isabelle Molhant
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