WaferManeuver

Last night I attended the opening concert of the Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland. The OBF is held in Eugene each year, though evidently in the past they have held concerts in Portland as part of the event - this was the first time they’d had a concert in Portland since 1981. And what a great concert to have!

J.S. Bach’s B Minor Mass is probably my favorite piece of music by the composer. I first heard it a couple of years ago when the local classical radio station, All Classical 89.9, played it uninterrupted as part of a weekly program. When I first tuned in (not knowing what I was listening to), I knew it must have been Bach from the style of the music, but I had no idea what the composition was - I just recall thinking that I loved every piece!

The concert at this year’s OBF opening, under the direction of Helmuth, was phenomenal. They performed the piece from start to finish without an intermission, just with a brief pause between the Gloria and Credo sections. Though the soloists and musicians were excellent, the true standout was the choir - the work is primarily a choral piece and the most beautiful moments came from the OBF choir.

My favorite recording of the B Minor Mass is Konrad Junghanel’s recording (cover pictured below). The key feature of this recording is that it applies the one-voice-per-part theory (OVPP), which effectively relies on the technical ability of the singers to sing parts that are otherwise traditionally performed by choir sections. I didn’t realize this until I was at last night’s concert and was confused by the choir singing parts I typically associate with individuals (primarily due to my familiarity with this recording). Regardless, I love the music either way!