Bach’s B Minor Mass has been described as “The mightiest choral piece ever written”, “The greatest musical work of art of all time and all nations” and “The most remarkable allegory of human existence”.
To mark their 50th anniversary, the Reading Bach Choir returns to the 25th January 1967, the date of their first concert. On a Wednesday evening they attracted an audience of over 1000 to Reading Town Hall to hear the Mass in B Minor - a remarkable achievement! That ambition has continued throughout their 50 year history.
During this time they have performed music spanning five centuries. The repertoire is very varied, from the Renaissance to the 21st century. Programmes are stimulating, sometimes challenging, and often include unusual or lesser known works.
There is a particular love for and loyalty to the works of JS Bach but at the same time this is THE amateur choir presenting contemporary, different and yet beautifully accessible choral music.
To mark their anniversary the choir perform the B Minor Mass once more, in the same place and within a few days of that first concert date.
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 a compilation of some of his finest vocal music, woven together with startlingly original new music born of acute inspiration. It was never performed in its entirety during his lifetime.