The Annapolis Chorale continues its 2011-2012 season on March 2 (7:30 pm) and 3 (8 pm) with the group’s first-ever performance of JS Bach’s Mass in B-Minor at historic St. Anne’s Parish. This complex and challenging work is one of Bach’s final works and one of his most intricate. The Annapolis Chorale Chamber Chorus and Annapolis Chamber Orchestra will perform the work under the direction of J. Ernest Green. Joining the Chamber Chorus for these performances are soloists Kimberly Christie, soprano; Catrin Davies, mezzo; Susan Fleming, mezzo; David Murray, baritone; Frederic Rey, tenor; and Caitlin Vincent, soprano. Organist and Bach expert Larry Molinaro will also perform.
The "Mass in B Minor" is a glorious but somewhat mysterious piece, says Mr. Green. It was probably never performed in its present form during Bach's lifetime and its segments were written at different times during his life from the 1730s to the late 1740s. Says Mr. Green, “We are not even sure how the separate folios of music came to be grouped together into what became the “Mass in B Minor” that we know today.”
To give audiences a rare and intimate look at this work, Mr. Green and the performers offer two distinct concert experiences. The first, on Friday at 7:30 pm, takes the popular Casual Friday concept and expands on it so that it is truly an interactive concert. Mr. Green will give a short talk on the piece at the start of the concert and it will be followed by a Q&A session with the artists. In between, audience members will be able to follow along with the score as it is performed, ask questions in "real time" and see why this work is a living work of art with limitless performance opportunities. Saturday evening begins with a pre-concert talk by Mr. Green at 7 pm followed by a performance at 8 pm.
Tickets for both performances are $37/adults, $12/pre-sold students and are on sale now at the Maryland Hall Box Office at 410-280-5640 or www.marylandhall.org. There is a $3 per-ticket service charge for individual tickets. Live Arts Maryland is offering free Student Rush tickets a half-hour before each concert time for students with a valid ID.
The Annapolis Chorale Chamber Chorus is presented by Live Arts Maryland, one of the region’s largest and most active non-profit arts organizations dedicated to enhancing community life by performing and presenting high-quality music and providing music education for all ages. Live Arts Maryland is also home to the Annapolis Chorale, Annapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Annapolis Youth Chorus and the St. Anne’s Concert Series. It also offers such music education programs as the MusicWorks school partnership and a scholarship program for high-school music students. The Annapolis Chorale is a resident company of Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and is supported by the Maryland State Arts Council, the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County and the City of Annapolis.
###
