Featuring soloists Amanda Forsythe, Sonja Tengblad, Tamara Mumford, Nicholas Phan, and Kevin Deas.
BOSTON, MA—Boston Baroque opens its 50th Season with Bach’s beloved Mass in B minor this October. The performance on Saturday, October 15 at 8pm will be held at GBH’s Calderwood Studio in Brighton, welcoming live studio audiences on site and virtual audiences around the world via livestream on IDAGIO’s Global Concert Hall. The performance on Sunday, October 16 at 3pm will be held at NEC’s Jordan Hall in Boston.
Boston Baroque will welcome its renowned chorus and orchestra back to the stage with a cadre of all-star soloists. Sopranos Amanda Forsythe and Sonja Tengblad, tenor Nicholas Phan, and bass-baritone Kevin Deas return to the Boston Baroque stage alongside mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford, who makes her Boston Baroque debut. Founding Music Director Martin Pearlman conducts.
Boston Baroque first performed Bach’s B Minor Mass in 1981, making the organization one of the first to perform the piece on period instruments in the country. Founding Music Director Martin Pearlman has been lauded for his experimentation, artistry, and groundbreaking role at that time in bringing the early music movement to life in America.
Made up of music composed over a 25-year period, the Mass in B minor was not performed in its entirety until 1859, more than a century after Bach’s death. Near the end of Bach’s life, in the late 1740’s, he began to expand upon earlier composed music to turn into a full Catholic mass. The final musical manuscript was left untitled, only later adopting the Mass in B minor name by later generations. Contrarily, the work does not recreate a liturgical experience from Bach’s lifetime, as do his cantatas, but instead represents a hallmark work to be enjoyed for the concert hall.
Audiences near and far will have the opportunity to enjoy the concert as we welcome virtual audiences around the world via livestream on IDAGIO’s Global Concert Hall at Saturday’s 8pm performance. Livestream director Matthew Principe will take the helm again, in partnership with GBH’s Production Group, bringing a sumptuous concert experience online with the carefully crafted camera angles and dynamic lighting. Through our streaming partnership with IDAGIO, Boston Baroque performances have been streamed on 5 continents across 17 countries over the last year.
Safety will remain a top priority for both musicians and audience members. All patrons are required to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated and boosted with a COVID-19 vaccine. A CDC-approved mask must be worn at all times in all areas indoors, and Boston Baroque strongly recommends using an N95, KN95, or double-masking with a disposable surgical mask.
Both in-person and livestream tickets are available for purchase online at baroque.boston or by calling the Box Office at (617) 987-8600. Livestream tickets begin at $9, and in-person tickets range from $25-$125. The virtual performance will become available to stream on-demand 30 days after the live air date, with on-demand rentals beginning at $9.
