CBS to Launch 53rd Season with BWV 232

One week from this coming Friday, the California Bach Society (CBS) will present the opening concert of its 53rd Season here in San Francisco at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM). The entire program will be devoted to Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 232, better known to almost everybody as the Mass in B Minor. Since Bach was a devout Lutheran, rather than a Catholic, there has always been a question about how and why this major undertaking came to be. We know that in 1733 he presented the “Kyrie” and “Gloria” sections to Augustus III, who, as King of Poland, had converted to Catholicism. However, it was not until late in his life that Bach expanded the score to include the texts for “Credo,” “Sanctus,” “Osanna,” “Benedictus,” “Agnus Dei,” and “Dona Nobis Pacem.”

My own personal opinion is that, during the last years of his life, Bach shifted his attention from performance to pedagogy. In other words BWV 232 is a document through which one learns, by example, polyphonic technique suitable for choral singing and different approaches to setting solo vocal performances against different instrumental accompaniments. If we are to accept these premises, then it would be fair to say that, if the score is to be performed in its entirety, a conservatory would probably be a more suitable venue than a church (particularly a Catholic one)!

The CBS chorus in the Fall of 2017 (photograph by Will Toft)

For those unfamiliar with the ensemble, CBS is a 30-voice chamber chorus. Its Artistic Director is Paul Flight, who is now in his eighteenth season. The abundance of movements for vocal soloists will be met by seven participants. They will be two sopranos (Victoria Fraser and Morgan Balfour), countertenor Kyle Sanchez Tingzon, two tenors (Edward Betts and David Taylor Siegel), bass-baritone Chung-Wai Soong, and bass Adam Cole.

This will mark CBS’ first collaboration with SFCM. Several of the soloists are graduates, four of the students will join the choir, and the orchestra will include SFCM string players and graduates. The venue will be the Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall, located in the building at 50 Oak Street, a short walk from the intersection of Van Ness Avenue and Market Street, which is a Muni station for both underground and surface transportation. The performance will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 13. General admission will be $40 with a $35 rate for seniors. Students and those under 30 will be admitted for $10. A Web page has been created to process all ticket sales, and the alternative will be to call 650-485-1097. Sales should be finalized at least 24 hours before the concert. Doors will open 30 minutes before the performance.