bach-and-the-mass-in-b-minor
Conclusion of Bach week
J.S. Bach
Emma Kajander, soprano
Erica Back, alto
Jussi Myllys, tenor
Tuomas Pursio, bass
Cantores Minores
Finnish Baroque Orchestra
Hannu Norjanen, conductor
In the revival of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music, his great sacred works took a particularly prominent place — not least the Mass in B minor, which some scholars consider the brightest crown jewel in the history of music. From a historical perspective, this is somewhat ironic, since the work was never performed in its entirety — nor as a liturgical mass — during Bach’s lifetime, or for a long time afterward. It was written to the Latin ordinarium text, which had no place in the Lutheran church, and even in the vernacular it would have been far too long for liturgical use.
Doubts about the unity of the work also arise from the fact that its various sections differ greatly in style and instrumentation. Some of the choral movements are written in a solemn, archaic style that — apart from the orchestral accompaniment — closely resembles the stile antico of the Catholic Church, handed down from the Renaissance. By contrast, some of the arias are light and galant, even paradoxically evoking the liberal, operatic idiom of the time — the very style Bach himself once derided as “the charming Dresden twaddle” and despised throughout his life.
In reality, Bach’s Mass in B minor was assembled from music composed over a span of more than twenty years. About half of its material is derived from existing works, mainly cantatas, and nearly all the rest is thought to be of similar parodic origin — previously composed music newly adapted to a different text and scoring.
Duration: 2 h 15 min (no intermission)
HELSINKI
Tickets 20 €, 25*/35 €, 44*/55 €, 75 € (numbered places): Ticketmaster's points of purchase and ticketmaster.fi
* discount groups
TAMMISAARI
Tickets 44/25* € (unnumbered places): Ticketmaster's points of purchase and ticketmaster.fi
* discount groups