Review by Graham Davies

The Chiltern Camerata together with the Camerata Consort conducted by Sam Laughton performed The Mass in B minor by J S Bach at All Saints’ Church, High Wycombe on 21st March 2015, wonderfully celebrating Bach’s birthday, at least according to the Julian Calendar.

This towering work places many demands on the listener, which may have explained the disappointing audience numbers, who were nevertheless rewarded with an uplifting and often moving experience.

That the B minor Mass should have survived at all is a miracle in itself and as Sam Laughton reminded us in his helpful programme notes, not having being performed in Bach’s lifetime, was only published in 1845 and then first heard in 1859. Only in 1968 in a recording by Nikolaus Harnoncourt was it first heard performed by an ensemble resembling that for which it was written.

As a Lutheran, J S Bach had composed exclusively for this church, but on the death in 1733 of Augustus ll of Saxony, he composed a Missa in order to dedicate it to Augustus lll, hoping to obtain the title “Electoral Saxon Court Composer”. In the last years of Bach’s life, he completed the Latin Ordinary. Various scholars over the years have speculated for reasons why this should have been.

As was Bach’s custom, music for parts of the Mass had been used elsewhere, but never the less the work is widely accepted as his most towering achievement; a setting of the Mass on level unsurpassed by any other composer.

Following the opening four bars of the Kyrie, fugal writing develops the text “Kyrie eleison” and the Camerata Consort demonstrated a wonderfully pure tone, totally unforced. One felt a genuine penitential feel to this opening movement and this set a high musical standard, evident throughout the evening.

Using members of a choir to provide soloists has been a widespread practice for centuries and this performance followed that tradition. This is of course commendable, but has to be done with great care to avoid standards being compromised.  

There were some excellent solo and duet contributions; on the other hand there were others which were disappointing. The combined forces of the Camerata and Consort are impressive and they achieved an overall high standard throughout the performance worthy of a line-up of professional soloists to provide the icing on the cake.

There can be nothing better to raise the spirits than to listen to the dancelike movements of The Gloria, Sanctus and Osanna in Bach’s hands. Sam Laughton’s well-chosen tempi throughout the evening gave space when required and also energised the music and his players appropriately.

The excellent trumpets crowned the ensemble with thrilling fanfares, and the agile winds were delightful, especially in the Domine Deus and  Qui sedes. The strings were solid and reliable with occasional lapses of intonation in unison passages.

Special mention must be made of the solo horn for Quoniam tu solus, who has to wait for nearly forty minutes before playing what is a very demanding and exposed duet with the bass soloist. Both musicians gave an excellent account of this demanding aria.

The Camerata Consort was founded by Mark Johnstone in 2003, bringing together some of the best singers in the area and others from prize winning choirs in London. The Consort has gone on to undertake a regular programme of mainly a capella choral concerts, appearing as the Indulgence Consort to great popular acclaim.

This was the eighth joint concert with the Chiltern Camerata after successful collaborations including Handel’s Dixit Dominus, the Vivaldi Gloria, the St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passions by J S Bach and the Handel Utrecht Te Deum.

The Consort was without doubt the stars of the evening.  Anyone familiar with the score of the Mass will know of the virtuosic vocal writing Bach demands; perhaps explaining why it took so long before it was first performed.

The balance, blend, tuning and tireless agility of the choir was excellent throughout and the stamina of the first sopranos in particular was thrilling. Their singing of the Crucifixus, perhaps the most moving moment in the Mass, was sung with great feeling and expression. Immediately bursting forth with Et resurrexit, the whole ensemble gave the listener a wonderful foretaste of Easter to come.

All in all then an evening to savour. There were so many memorable moments which faithfully served Bach’s sublime score in a work which contains not only exquisite chamber music, but also movements using the full ensemble with trumpets and timpani.

The Chiltern Camerata and Camerata Consort have set the standard in the area for fine performances of major works and long may they continue to do so.

Visit www.chilterncamerata.wordpress.com/ for more information about The Chiltern Camerata.