Prom 63: Bach – Mass in B minor by Bach, J. S., Od (2016/2016), Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

During the last four years of his life, Johann Sebastian Bach worked on a piece that he knew would represent the summation of his life’s work. In the end, the material of Bach’s almighty Mass in B minor was almost two decades in the making – a compilation of some of his finest vocal music woven together with startlingly original new music born of acute inspiration. William Christie conducts Bach’s Mass with a quartet of soloists and his own ensemble Les Arts Florissants, known for its historically informed and infectiously exciting performances of Baroque music.