Organization

Soprano

Yetzabel Arias Fernandez

Contralto

Wiebke Lehmkuhl

Alto

Tenor

Tilman Lichdi

Bass

Klaus Mertens

Chorus master

Justin Doyle

Orchestra

Berliner Philharmoniker

Others

RIAS Chamber Choir

Mass in B minor, BWV 232

Berlin

Germany

The B minor Mass is Johann Sebastian Bach’s legacy to vocal music: a cosmos of all the forms and styles that make his sacred works so rich. There are arias of dance-like lightness as well as austere Renaissance singing, ingeniously constructed fugues and jubilant choruses. In this concert the work is performed under the baton of Ton Koopman, a conductor, organist and harpsichordist who is one of the great Bach interpreters of our time.

Ton Koopman conducts Bach’s Mass in B Minor: Concert Various

Public

Approved

Instrumentalist

Pianist

Violinist

Cellist

Violist

Flutist

Clarinetist

Guitarist

Organist

Percussionist

hornist

Oboist

Bassoonist

Trumpeter

Contrabassist

Trombonist

Harper

Saxophonist

Harpsichordist

Bassist

Accordionist

Tuba Player

Recorder Player

Lutenist

Tenor Violinist

Timpani

Mandoline Player

Baroque Flutist

Baroque Oboist

Baroque Trumpetist

Violino Piccolo Player

Viola da gamba

Musette de cour Player

Viola Pomposa Player

Archlutenist

Vibraphonist

Cornettist

Viola d’amore Player

Theorbist

Composer

Conductor

Stage director

Librettist

Set designer

Costume designer

Choreographer

Lighting designer

Dancer

Actor

Video designer

Dramaturge

Translator

Sound designer

Repetiteur

Makeup artist

Executive producer

Hairstylist

Other

Stage Manager

Choir

Poet

Vocal coach

Teacher

Photographer

Broadcasting

Illustrator

Writer

Writing and performance

Chorus Director

Wig & Makeup Designer

Orchestra Operations

Extra

Singer

Countertenor

Bass-baritone

Mezzo-soprano

Baritone

Spoken

Child vocalist

Silent

Continuo

A Protestant kantor sets the Latin text of the Catholic liturgy of the Mass to music – and in doing so, creates a timeless interdenominational work. The Mass in B Minor is not only Johann Sebastian Bach’s final vocal work, it is also his “opus ultimum”, his musical legacy. In this large ensemble Mass setting, whose gestation lasted decades and which combines rewritten movements with parodies of existing pieces of music, Bach brings together everything that distinguishes his composing: a variety of musical forms and styles, contrapuntal density and concertante lightness, objective contemplation and subjective emotional language. From the first desperate scream-like cries of Kyrie of the chorus to the final petition, “Dona nobis pacem”, which begins meditatively and closes with festive rejoicing accompanied by trumpets and drums, Bach presents the whole cosmos of Baroque music making in 27 musical numbers.

It is probable that Bach himself never heard a complete performance of his Mass. It was too long even for a large-scale ceremonial service. The great age of the B Minor Mass began in the 19th century as part of the Bach revival initiated by the Berlin Sing-Akademie. The Berliner Philharmoniker performed the piece for the first time in 1885 to mark the 200th anniversary of Bach’s birth. From the Second World War onwards, there was a performance with one of the major Berlin choral societies almost every year until 1985. However, the orchestra has only programmed the work two times since then: in 1999 under the direction of Claudio Abbado and in 2006 with Sir Roger Norrington.

This season, Ton Koopman, who made his debut with the Philharmoniker in 2010 conducting works by Bach and Haydn, performs the B Minor Mass together with the Philharmoniker and the RIAS Kammerchor. Koopman, who is not only a conductor but also an organist and harpsichordist, is considered one of the great specialists in the work of the Leipzig Thomaskantor. When conducting, Koopman sees himself as “the first among equals”, however, he has the reputation of being a hard taskmaster when it comes to performing Bach’s music to his satisfaction. His credo: “We are privileged to perform beautiful music by a person who is more genius than we.”

English

Mass in B minor, BWV 232 by Bach, J. S., fös 27 okt 2017, Frá (2017/2017)

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