Bach: Mass in B Minor

A Work Devoted to a Lifetime

Bach’s Mass in B Minor is not a single work of liturgical music completed at once. It is a summation of Bach’s life.

In his final years, Bach gathered fragments of works he had composed throughout his life—cantatas, organ pieces, and entirely new music—reorganized, revised, and wove them into this monumental Mass.

It covers the entire Ordinary of the Mass, lasting over two hours, and is regarded as one of the greatest choral works in Western music.

And this recording by Raphaël Pichon and his Pygmalion period-instrument ensemble was praised by The Classic Review: “hear this version and you know period instruments can be this beautiful.”

The Beauty of Period Instruments

In recent years, “period performance” has often been criticized as “more scholarly than emotional.”

But Pichon’s B Minor Mass completely overturns that impression. Pygmalion’s musicians play gut strings and period winds, yet produce a warm, translucent, deeply human sound.

That famous opening Kyrie—the interweaving of low strings and chorus—carries a quality at once solemn and grieving, making you forget the difference between “period” and “modern”—only the music remains.

The Soloists’ Radiance

This recording’s soloists include soprano Julie Roset, alto Lucile Richardot, tenor Emiliano Gonzalez Toro, and others—all leading figures in today’s period vocal world.

Their vocal technique and Pichon’s conducting style fit perfectly, making those complex fugues and coloraturas both precise and expressive.

Why Listen

If you’re daunted by Bach’s B Minor Mass—because it’s too long, too complex, or because the word “period” makes you hesitate—this album will change your mind.

This is a recording that lets you immerse fully and feel the beauty of Bach’s music. It is not a display of scholarship, but a presentation of emotion and faith.

Further Listening

If you love Bach’s spiritual world, Pärt’s music holds a spiritual connection with him. And Kurtág’s Játékok represents another depth of contemporary music.