Bach B Minor Mass - Belfast Philharmonic Choir
7:45pm, Sat, 10 Jun 2023
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Type of event: Performance Start time: 7:45pm End time: 10:00pm Venue: Glenmachan Church of God, Glenmachan Road, Belfast, BT4 2NL Description: For his first concert as the new Chorus Director of Belfast Philharmonic Choir, conductor James Grossmith leads the choir in a performance of Bach’s epic B Minor Mass alongside the Ulster Orchestra and a team of soloists from across the island of Ireland.
The B Minor Mass has been described as ‘the most remarkable musical allegory of human existence’, and its completion marked the composer’s final major musical undertaking before his death. It was probably not performed in its entirety during his lifetime and appears rather to have been written as a vast testament to the musical styles and influences Bach had encountered and absorbed throughout his life. The Mass uses a vast array of techniques to create a work which is both intimate and monumental, exploiting the full range of the voices. The musical lines of the orchestra are interwoven with the often intricate counterpoint of the singers, notable in the joyous music for the trumpets and the lively violin obbligato in the beautiful aria ‘Laudamus te’.
The Belfast Philharmonic had been due to perform the B Minor Mass in spring 2020 and are pleased to revive the piece with a full chorus and under the baton of our new Director. The choir and Ulster Orchestra are joined by five soloists from Northern Ireland: Rebekah Coffey (Soprano I), Sarah Richmond (Soprano II), Carolyn Dobbin (Alto), Daryl Simpson (Tenor) and Ben McAteer (Bass)
In the final performance of the choir’s 2022/23 season we are delighted to be able to sing this astounding masterpiece of the choral repertoire for audiences in Belfast’s Glenmachan Church of God.
Belfast Philharmonic Choir
Ulster Orchestra
James Grossmith conductor
Rebekah Coffey Soprano I
Sarah Richmond Soprano II
Carolyn Dobbin Alto
Daryl Simpson Tenor
Ben McAteer Bass
