“This highly-accomplished chorus, under the baton of Peter Leech and
accompanied by Canzona, an ensemble specialising in performing
on authentic instruments of the era, gave a splendid rendition of this
decidedly significant work. The majesty of the piece was projected at
the outset by the decisive and warm tones of the chorus within the
awe-inspiring acoustic. It was a bold start to the mighty setting of
the Kyrie, and at what, I might add, seemed a blistering pace.
The soloists were all tremendously polished performers and I was
especially delighted at the poise and grace with which the sopranos
executed the ornamented passages of the vocal lines. The bass
duet with the natural horn was also impressive and a rare treat. A
personal highlight was the alto solo, Agnus Dei, with its
haunting and enchanting melodic line.
There were numerous other inspired touches, my partner particularly
enjoyed the flourishing fanfares and exuberant style of the Et
Resurrexit rebounding around the chorus and brass, and I was deeply
impressed by the exultant Sanctus with its expansive qualities and
grandiose fugue.
It is a credit to the performers that, despite the diversity of timbres
that the settings call for, they were able to deliver them with great
flair. The coherence between musical numbers was exceedingly smooth
although not easy to achieve due to the method by which this work came
into being. Bach began composing some of the elements selected for
inclusion while still in his late 20s and he finally compiled it in its
entirety in the very last years of his life when he was already going
blind. Choosing to adapt and refine earlier compositions, he may have
felt himself to be selecting his finest material and putting it as a
powerful and unified musical experience to the service of praising God.
The chorus admirably portrayed this lofty intention throughout the
performance, not least in the magnificent Dona Nobis Pacem with its
sublime rising passages like a stairway to heaven and impeccable
trumpet descant, climaxing in the representation of the desire
for eternal spiritual peace.
Following the audience’s gratified response to the
performance, I noted a pronounced stillness among the
departing company, the sort that occurs when a group of people have
experienced a truly transformational occurrence together which then
compels the individual to reflect on that experience.”
Jaqui Strevens, Wells Journal