Mass in B Minor - Ex Cathedra, Birmingham Town Hall, Sun 01 December 2024, 5☆☆☆☆☆. Reviewer: Paul Gray & Roderick Dungate.

Photo Credit: Ex Cathedra

Mass in B Minor - Ex Cathedra, Birmingham Town Hall, Sun 01 December 2024, 5☆☆☆☆☆. Reviewer: Paul Gray & Roderick Dungate.

“A triumph of a performance of Bach’s masterpiece.”

This performance of Bach’s mighty B Minor Mass by Ex Cathedra and the Ex Cathedra Baroque Orchestra was quite simply magnificent. Never has such an intense two-and-something hours sped-by so utterly engrossingly.

Their usual conductor, Jeffery Skidmore – the esteemed founder of Ex Cathedra - was indisposed, so Steven Devine stepped in. Steven was originally booked as the organist, so he swapped the keyboard for the podium. Martin Perkins then stepped in at short notice to take over on the organ. Clearly there is a lot of illness around, so the glorious voice of Katie Trethewey was replaced by Margaret Lingas in the soprano part in the Domine Deus duet.

The attention to detail and the precision of diction was excellent, so anyone familiar with church Latin (& Greek) could have had no problem following the text.

In this excellent performance, the texts of the movements of the catholic mass – Kyrie, Gloria, Symbolum Nicenum (Credo), Sanctus, Agnus Dei et Dona Nobis Pacem – were given the added quality of being about telling a story. In this sense, the B Minor Mass is comparable to Bach’s settings of the various Passion texts; in that it is about storytelling. Maybe these works are as close as Bach ever got to writing an opera? Mind you, Bach’s Passions have frequently been staged.

One really felt this sense of storytelling when motifs & melodies from the opening Kyrie movement returned at the opening of the Agnus Dei. Here, alto soloist, Martha McLorinan, was at her most sublime. McLorinan gave us an almost hushed, whispered delivery of this beautiful text. It was as though she, they – the choir & players - and we, a somehow humbled audience, had been through an extraordinary journey; a kind of lived experience as the various movements of the Mass had been unfolded to us.

This was one of the most profoundly moving interpretations I have ever heard of this final movement of the Mass. The proof of this could be observed all around me in the audience, many of whom were wiping away tears.

Conductor, Steven Devine, shaped the music with tremendous attention to detail, and all of the detail came across. Nothing was lost. The choir sang with total commitment and concentration that was utterly engrossing.

Likewise, the band were superb, and there were some wonderful obligato solos from flutes, oboes, bassoon, lead violin, and others. Also, Ex Cathedra like to share vocal solos around, so, at the curtain call there were at least ten vocal soloists, if not more. A truly superb performance of not only the highest musical quality, but also of profound & emotive storytelling.

Ex Cathedra Choir

Ex Cathedra Baroque Orchestra

Conductor – Steven Devine

Organ – Martin Perkins

Vocal Soloists – Margaret Lingas, Imogen Russell, Clover Willis, Martha McLorinan, Ellie Stamp, Declan Costello, Dan Marles, Tom Lowen, Lawrence White