British Embassy Choir
In aid of the earthquake victims, this concert featured excerpts from Bach's B-Minor Mass preceded by some dreary pieces by dead German composers.The beginning featured a guest organist, a very tall German fellow, who tossed off the Prelude and Fugue in D-Minor like it was child's play. A mesmerizing 10 minutes.
Then we had five pieces by the likes of Schutz, Haydn and Rheinberger which would have kept the dead asleep. The choir sounded a little ragged throughout.
The excerpts from the Mass were the Kyrie and Gloria. The choir did much better on its parts here, and the soloists were also very good for amateur musicians. The final chorus was taken at a devilishly fast pace, and it was exciting to see if the whole thing would fall apart - which it did not.
The pianist was heroic - most impressive. Mariko Sano deserves a pat on the back for her accompaniment.
The whole Mass will be offered in the fall with orchestra. We'll see.
posted by Larry Wells @ 6:56 PM
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