Conductor Jean-Sébastien Vallée programmed his second season at the helm of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (TMC) under the theme of journeys.
Photo: D. Katz
On March 18, TMC performs David Lang’s Little Match Girl Passion, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous tale about a poverty-stricken youngster sent out into the cold by her father to sell matches. The journey of this young girl serves as a stark reminder of the problems of hunger and homelessness in our world, where hope and memories meet the harsh reality of the snowy streets. This modern work is strongly inspired by the music of J.S. Bach, and Vallée logically chose to follow this piece with Bach’s Mass in B minor on March 28.
Completed in 1749, one year before Bach’s death, the complete mass was never performed during the composer’s lifetime. Written over a span of 30 years, the work embodies music from a wide array of styles, from stile antico to stile moderno, with influences ranging from Gregorian chant to Italian opera. “I’m truly fascinated by Bach’s ability to combine and contrast all these different styles, and yet preserve clear unity of expression,” Vallée notes. His favourite part of the mass is the Credo. “This section contains most of the newer music Bach composed at the end of his life. The musical language is at his highest— and this section, divided into nine symmetrical movements arranged in arch form, is the pinnacle of Bach’s religious and spiritual expression.” Vallée describes the mass as a “meeting place of centuries of musical developments ingeniously assembled by Bach, and it represents Bach’s musical and human journey.”
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir performing at St. Andrew’s Church in February 2019. Photo by Brian Summers. — at St. Andrew’s Church, Toronto.
True to the pitch and temperament used during Bach’s time, Mass in B minor will be performed at A415 and on period instruments. The different soli and duets will be performed by members of TMC’s 24-voice professional ensemble, the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers. Vallée’s approach to this piece is “focused on bringing to the fore all the subtle musical elements that Bach used to depict his life and musical journey. To me, the power of this piece is in the details of its form, harmony, articulation, and counterpoint, which are the keys to unlock this intemporal and highly expressive masterwork.”
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Jean-Sébastien Vallée, conductor, Bach’s Mass in B minor, Koerner Hall, Toronto, on March 28, 2023. www.tmchoir.org
