Sunday, May 5

Chancel Choir & Orchestra presents: Bach, Mozart and More

Time: 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Northminster Presbyterian Church

Sound & Spirit presents the Northminster Chancel Choir, soloists, and orchestra in a performance of two giants in western classical music - Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – at 4:00 pm, Sunday, May 5th in the sanctuary at Northminster. Soloists are David Rugger, Bass; Jonathan Punt, Tenor; Michael Walker, Alto; and Elisabeth Kleinsmith, Soprano.

The two featured works on the program are Bach’s Ascension Oratorio and Mozart’s Coronation Mass. Composed for Ascension Day, 1735, the Ascension Oratorio was written during Bach’s most fruitful period, when he was the music director for two churches in Leipzig, Germany. It follows Bach’s two earlier oratorios, the Christmas Oratorio and the Easter Oratorio. Joining the choir and soloists is an orchestra comprised of strings, flutes, oboes, trumpets, timpani, and harpsichord. The Ascension Oratorio is a jubilant setting, which contains three movements for chorus, two arias – one for soprano and one for alto, and six recitatives which move the story along.

Mozart’s Coronation Mass (1779) was composed during Mozart’s earlier years in the beautiful city of Salzburg, where he worked for the Archbishop. The Archbishop had declared that any mass setting was to last “no more than three quarters of an hour.” At 25 minutes, Mozart is able to meet the Archbishop’s time restriction by mostly setting the text syllabically (one note per syllable rather than multiple notes per syllable) and homophonically (all voices singing at the same time with the same rhythm). Set in the bright key of C Major and incorporating horns, trombones, trumpets, and timpani, the Coronation Mass maintains a celebratory character throughout.

Separating these two works will be the Northminster Chamber Ensemble in a set that features mostly 21st century choral repertoire connected with the ideas Ascension or Sky. Two such pieces are British composer Jonathan Dove’s spacey “Seek Him that Maketh the Seven Stars” and Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo’s atmospheric “Northern Lights.”

As with all Sound & Spirit events, this concert is free of charge. We hope you will make plans to hear this 90-minute concert, Sunday, May 5, at 4:00 pm.