Sydney Chamber Choir completes its semi-centennial year with the jewel in the crown of JS Bach’s choral works, the Mass in B minor BWV 232, performed coincidentally, on the feast day of St Cecilia, patron saint of music.

Under the expert guidance of Artistic Director Sam Allchurch, the choristers and instrumentalists of the augmented Muffat Collective, finely led from the violin by Concertmaster Matthew Greco, with soloists soprano Sara Macliver, mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell, tenor Andrew Goodwin and bass David Greco, perform a stirring and finessed account of this showpiece of Baroque music.

Sydney Chamber Choir and the Muffat Collective at City Recital Hall, Sydney. Photo © Robert Catto

The Mass in B Minor is a strange beast. Not only is Bach, a devout Lutheran setting the Latin words of the Catholic mass, but also, the piece is too long and too grand for a liturgical rendering. Nor was it a concert piece. This pinnacle of Bach’s lifetime of brilliant and diverse composition, was likely never heard by him. Very little is known about its early life, with only one known outing conducted by CPE Bach...