J.S. Bach: H-Moll-Messe

The B Minor Mass is something of a greatest hits piece within Bach’s own oeuvre, and is a little confusing. It’s the only full mass he wrote, though he wrote many liturgical works that serve as the constituent parts of a mass. As a Lutheran, the mass was an unusual form to write but it served his purposes as an employee of the church, and this one was somewhat conceptual anyway. At around one hour and forty minutes, it wouldn’t have been suitable for any actual church service. Cantus Cölln, a vocal group founded and directed by Konrad Junghänel, navigate the choral parts with phenomenal delicacy, making the entire journey feel wind-powered, and only electric in affect. This performance flies by.