Photo courtesy of Asheville Symphony Chorus
By Natasha Anderson
The Asheville Symphony Chorus (ASC) presents J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor: Kyrie & Gloria on Saturday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. at Arden Presbyterian Church. The work is widely considered to be the greatest and most profound musical setting of the Ordinary of the Mass.
“Had there been an awards show in the early 1700s, Bach’s scores would have dominated the stage and taken home all the hardware,” says ASC soprano Jude Gotrich. “The Reformation released a plethora of church music, but none approached that of Bach with his profusion of prolific compositions.”
His setting of the mass is unprecedented in its scale, majesty and sobriety. Its massive opening Kyrie statement is followed by an immense, solemn fugue that sends listeners on an epic musical journey. The 12 movements of the piece were likely conceived as an audition for a position at the court of the new Elector of Saxony, Friedrich August II, in 1733.
Bach later incorporated the Kyrie and Gloria into a complete setting of the mass. It is among the works assembled into collections in his final years and was not intended for a specific performance, but for posterity.
“This is considered by many to be the summation and culmination of Bach’s life’s work, not only in its variety of styles, compositional devices and range of sonorities, but also in its remarkably high level of technical achievement,” says ASC conductor Michael Lancaster.
Arden Presbyterian Church is located at 2215 Hendersonville Road, Arden. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for youth. To purchase tickets, visit ashevillesymphonychorus.com.
