BACH: MASS IN B MINOR

Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232

As is customary for an orchestra Concerto Copenhagen, this recording was made using replicas of instruments from Bach’s time, with an orchestra size corresponding to his and with the lower chamber pitch of that era. Perhaps more controversial is the use of solo voices, even in the choral movements. The background to this is a series of highly debated theories first put forward in November 1981 by the American conductor and musicologist Joshua Rifkin, who believes that the majority of Bach’s vocal music was intended for solo voices.

Concerto Copenhagen’s artistic director, Lars Ulrik Mortensen, calls this approach “a new way of thinking that is slowly but surely changing our entire perception of Bach’s musical world, and which, in my opinion, is one of the most important insights into performance practice of our time!” And he continues: “Compared to more traditional and larger ensembles, the ratio between the number of singers and musicians changes completely, which inevitably makes the music far lighter and more transparent. The vocal lines become ‘individualized’—and it is precisely the contrast between the ‘individual’ and the ‘group’ that is an extremely important architectural aspect of all of Bach’s vocal music; it becomes possible and necessary to clarify a wide range of details that would otherwise be lost.”

Reviews:
Gramophone Editor’s Choice, March 2016
Gramophone Awards 2016, Shortlisted – Baroque Vocal
“The individual components are consistently marvelous, but Concerto Copenhagen produces something far greater than the sum of its parts: one of the most profoundly captivating interpretations to have emerged recently.” ( David Vickers, Gramophone, October 2016)

BBC Radio 3’s “Building a Library” recommendation – Top pick

♥♥♥♥♥♥ “Concerto Copenhagen’s performance of Bach’s Great Mass in B minor captivates the listener with stunning contrasts and moving soloists.” (Henrik Friis, Politiken, October 6, 2016)

∗∗∗∗∗ “The sound world of Bach’s last great Mass has changed radically in recent decades; one-to-a-part performance practice is, as conductor Lars Ulrik Mortensen puts it, ‘changing our entire notion of Bach’s acoustic universe’. This bold claim is amply demonstrated in a performance characterized by dazzling transparency, dance-like rhythms, and utter clarity” (Nicholas Kenyon, The Observer, May 8, 2016)

Cast:
Soloists:
Soprano: Maria Keohane, Joanne Lunn
Alto: Alex Potter
Tenor: Jan Kobow
Bass: Peter Harvey
Ripieno:
Soprano: Else Torp, Hanna Kappelin
Alto: Valdemar Villadsen
Tenor: Chris Watson
Bass: Jakob Bloch Jespersen

Concerto Copenhagen:
Flute: Katy Bircher, Irene Spranger
Oboe: Antoine Torunczyk, Lars Henriksson, Niels Johánsson
Bassoon: Jane Gower, György Farkas
Trumpet: Robert Farley, Christopher Pigram, Howard Rowntree
Horn: Ursula Paludan Monberg
Timpani: Patrik Raab
Violin I: Fredrik From, Peter Spissky, Jesenka Balic Zunic, Stefanie Barner-Madsen
Violin II: Antina Hugosson, Gabriel Bania, Elisabeth Enebjörn, Kanerva Juutilainen
Viola: Torbjörn Köhl, Rastko Roknic
Cello: Judith-Maria Blomsterberg, Kate Hearne
Double Bass: Mattias Frostenson
Organ: Leif Meyer (chorales)
Organ and musical direction: Lars Ulrik Mortensen

The album was released in 2016