Jordi Savall returns to L'Auditori de Barcelona to present his rendition of the Mass in B minor by Bach, one of the most rousing sacred works of the German Baroque era, indeed of the musical repertoire of all time.
Accompanied by Le Concert des Nations orchestra and La Capella Reial de Catalunya choir, both ensembles founded by Savall, he conducts a brilliant line-up of soloists with soprano Hana Blažíková, who visited us a few weeks ago as part of the Festival Llums d'Antiga, mezzo-soprano Sophie Harmsen, tenor Martin Platz, counter-tenor Raffaele Pe and bass Thomas Stimmel.
Bach’s Mass laid the foundations for the tradition of mighty modern masses, moving away from the visions of Franco-Flemish and Italian polyphonists and serving as a model and paving the way forward for Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and even Bruckner.
A piece of manifest maturity, the Kantor of Leipzig worked on it during different stages of his life, and it took almost fifteen years after the composition in 1733 of the Kyrie and Gloria – a kind of missa brevis – to write all the remaining parts and for it to assume its final form. It is a veritable monument of Bach’s art, in which the echo of his cantatas and other previous works can be discerned and enjoyed, all given a new lease of life and renewed affection.
This concert, which will be the closing event in L'Auditori’s Música Antiga season, is part of the special programme of events presented by this institution to mark World Music Day, which takes place on Monday 21 June.
The activities will kick off on Sunday 20 at the Museu de la Música, which will be holding an open day, at 11 am there will be a guided tour and at 5.30 pm a concert by the gamelan group in L'Auditori’s Llanterna Bar.
After Savall’s concert, the climax to this celebratory week will be delivered by the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra on 25 June under the direction of Juanjo Mena with violinist Sergei Dogadin, who will perform a special concert exclusively for OBC subscribers.
During the weekend there will also be a draw on social media for 10 tickets to attend the Festival Mozart Nits d'Estiu, that will take place in July at L'Auditori de Barcelona and the Palau de la Música Catalana.
News
Aleix Palau | 18 June 2021
Jordi Savall brings Bach’s Mass in B minor to L'Auditori de Barcelona
Le Concert des Nations and La Capella Reial de Catalunya will be accompanied by a superlative bill of soloists comprising Hana Blažíková, Sophie Harmsen, Martin Platz, Raffaele Pe and Thomas Stimmel.
Monday 21 June, World Music Day, at 7 pm in Sala 1, Pau Casals.
