Apollo’s Fire presents transcendent Bach with the Mass in B minor
Holy Week officially begins on Palm Sunday, and is a time of reflection and reverence for Christian believers. Whatever one’s beliefs, there can be a feeling of rebirth and renewal as winter haltingly gives way to spring around this time of year.
These sensibilities, both religious and secular, were fully manifest in the performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor by Apollo’s Fire under Jeannette Sorrell at St. James Cathedral on Friday night—easily one of the most memorable musical evenings recent years, and a highlight of the group’s five-year Chicago tenure.
Sorrell began with her chorus extended down the aisles, enfolding the first few rows of the audience in the expansive chords that open the Kyrie, creating a sense of vast sonic space. The singers proceeded up the aisles during the first instrumental ritornello, conveying the tense, searching quality of Bach’s sighing lines in the first section of the Mass.
Under Sorrell, the 20-member vocal ensemble was inspired throughout the performance, fully projecting the contrapuntal complexity and emotional range of Bach’s score, from its moments of unbridled jubilation (“Cum Sancto Spiritu”), to dark-hued stasis (“Et incarnatus est”), to spiritual balm (“Dona nobis pacem”).
The evening’s six vocal soloists all sang in the chorus as well, emerging downstage for their spotlight moments. Soprano Rebecca Myers sang with pure, fluent grace that paired well with the dusky mezzo of Aryssa Leigh Burrs in the “Christe eleison” and “Et unum Dominum.” Burrs lofted a glowing “Laudamus te” with violin obbligato support from concertmaster Alan Choo, playing in his trademark extroverted style but within the confines of good taste.
Emily Marvosh’s rich, layered contralto was adorned beautifully by Debra Nagy’s eloquent oboe d’amore playing in the “Qui sedes ad dextram Patris,” and Marvosh brought a palpable sense of spiritual resolve to the penultimate “Agnus Dei.”
Tenor Jacob Perry joined Myers for an inviting “Domine Deus,” and was a late standout in the “Benedictus,” a spare, lamenting trio sonata for him, traverso player Kathie Stewart, and the continuo.
One wanted somewhat more force and gravitas from baritone Charles Wesley Evans in the “Quoniam tu solus sanctus,” though Todd Williams’ deft navigation of the valveless corno da caccia was a clinic in period brass playing. Edward Vogel, the other baritone, sang the “Et in Spiritum sanctum” with gracious elegance over a supportive oboe d’amore duet from Nagy and Daniel Bates, repeating the strong impression he made in Israel in Egypt in 2023.
The chamber-sized instrumental consort was in brilliant form under Sorrell, playing with unimpeachable balance and intonation. There was a fundamental lightness and grace to even the most powerful orchestral moments that showed a collective sensitivity to the dancelike elements of the mass. The three burnished trumpets gleamed in the exultant choruses, punctuated by timpanist Luke Rinderknecht.
A special Double-Duty Award goes to soprano Sian Ricketts, who stepped down from the chorus risers to play the third oboe part, only called for in the brief Sanctus portion.
Presiding over it all was Jeannette Sorrell, who with understated grace led her charges on a moving traversal of Bach’s unsurpassed canvas. After from the deep, quiet finish of Marvosh’s poignant “Agnus Dei,” Sorrell resolutely built the concluding “Dona Nobis Pacem” to its shining climax, emphatically concluding her account of Bach’s profound statement of belief.
The program will be repeated 2 p.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church in Evanston. apollosfire.org
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