Prom 63: 1.09.16 - Bach: Mass in B minor

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Thursday 1 Sep 2016
Royal Albert Hall

Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass in B minor

Katherine Watson (soprano)
Tim Mead (countertenor)
Reinoud Van Mechelen (tenor)
André Morsch (baritone)
Les Arts Florissants
William Christie (conductor)

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.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07qc2gd

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The website info doesn't make it clear whether or not any choir is involved, though Les Arts Florissants does/can include one.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The website info doesn't make it clear whether or not any choir is involved, though Les Arts Florissants does/can include one.

If it were a OVpP performance, they'd need to mention seven soloists, so I presume it's the full vocal & instrumental ensemble.

[Tetrachord]

19:30 Thursday 1 Sep 2016
Royal Albert Hall

Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass in B minor

Katherine Watson (soprano)
Tim Mead (countertenor)
Reinoud Van Mechelen (tenor)
André Morsch (baritone)
Les Arts Florissants
William Christie (conductor)

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.

I'm absolutely looking forward to this - which should be just superb. Les Arts is easily the best period group around today IMO!! And this is one of my desert island works, "B Minor Mass".

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

If it were a OVpP performance, they'd need to mention seven soloists, so I presume it's the full vocal & instrumental ensemble.

Silly me. Of course'

[doversoul1]

If it has to be William Christie & Co., it would have been good if the work chosen had been their name sake. Or if it has to be Bach, it would be (would have been?) good if it were by a Prom’s début artist. Ah, well, that’s the Proms for you (me).

[BBMmk2]

I've been looking forward to this one for ages! Bring it on!! :)

[Padraig]

Thanks for that E A - I depend on you for upcoming Proms.

This work could well have been my 'Alpensinfonie', except that I possess only two versions: Karajan with Schwarzkopf, Hoffgen, Gedda and Rehfuss and the Chorus and Orchestra of the Society of the Friends of Music- on three LPs 1959, updated to CD 2005; and JEG 1985, with the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists. I don't think any version could replace my early Karajan if only because it was my first, and it astonished me then with its power. Even so, I look forward to reading the verdicts of all who hear this Prom performance.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

... except that I possess only two versions: Karajan with Schwarzkopf, Hoffgen, Gedda and Rehfuss and the Chorus and Orchestra of the Society of the Friends of Music- on three LPs 1959, updated to CD 2005; and JEG 1985, with the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists. I don't think any version could replace my early Karajan if only because it was my first, and it astonished me then with its power. Even so, I look forward to reading the verdicts of all who hear this Prom performance.

I also have only two: Minchinger and Rilling. The Munchinger is beautifully recorded, but the choir is rather BBC Singerish (as is Rilling's). I think JEG might be the one for me.

[Prommer]

Will be in the Hall for this tonight: a salutary corrective to all this Romantic hogwash I have got in to of late.

Love, love, love this work.

[subcontrabass]

The website info doesn't make it clear whether or not any choir is involved, though Les Arts Florissants does/can include one.

The website of Les Arts Florissants does make it clear that this is Choir and Orchestra ( http://www.arts-florissants.com/main...s-b-minor.html )

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Will be in the Hall for this tonight: a salutary corrective to all this Romantic hogwash I have got in to of late.

Love, love, love this work.

Moi aussi, but I love the Romantic hogwash too.

[Prommer]

Moi aussi, but I love the Romantic hogwash too.

Well, yes, me too! But Bach was aptly named in this context: a cleansing swim in his waters is needed every so often.

[Tetrachord]

Will be in the Hall for this tonight: a salutary corrective to all this Romantic hogwash I have got in to of late.

Love, love, love this work.

I'm very jealous!! But as I write this I'm listening via computer - albeit at unsatisfactorily reduced volume - and I'm not generally happy with Christie's reading; tempi at times too fast, a rather 'cold' reading and sometimes mannerisms reminiscent more of Rameau than Bach. Flawless playing, of course, but there's something of passion missing here. We're not at the end yet and he may pull a rabbit out of the hat, but so far I'm not enamored. It's like he's over-earnest, or something... Those wide-open ornamentations are just irritating!! And sometimes this reading is somewhat leaden and lacking drama. And this IS a dramatic work.

Disappointing as I'm a HUGE fan of Les Arts and "B Minor Mass" is a desert-island work!!

Thanks to advice from somebody here I've been able to increase the volume but it hasn't changed my opinion of this performance.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This is b****y phenominal. I was afraid of BBC Singers-type choral singing, but this is something else.

(Still don't like those pseudo-HIPP toothpaste-squeezing crescendos on every note longer than a semiquaver though.)