The "Mass in B minor" is a monumental work regarded as the essence of Johann Sebastian Bach's (1685-1750) music, completed in 1749 just before his death. It is estimated that the composition took 25 years. Alongside the "St. Matthew Passion," it is considered one of the two great masterpieces of Bach's sacred music. Bach's handwritten score was inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2015. The work consists of 24 pieces in five parts and takes about two hours to perform.
On September 18, at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall, Philippe Herreweghe, who will conduct Bach's Mass in B minor, described it as a work of overwhelming beauty. In a written interview with Asia Economy, he stated, "If you simply listen with focus, you will be overwhelmed by the beauty of the music."
Herreweghe is especially renowned as a maestro well-versed in interpreting Bach's music. He expressed particular anticipation for this performance, as he will be joined by the choir he leads, Collegium Vocale Gent. It has been 19 years since Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent last performed the Mass in B minor in Seoul, with their previous performance in 2006.
Collegium Vocale Gent is a choir founded in 1970 under Herreweghe's leadership by friends studying at the prestigious Ghent University in Belgium. Herreweghe majored in medicine at Ghent University. However, he said, "During my school days at the Jesuit College in Gent, I learned music and played the organ and harpsichord."
In 1977, Herreweghe founded the period instrument orchestra La Chapelle Royale, and in 1991, he established another period instrument orchestra, the Orchestre des Champs-Elysees, thus expanding the horizons of period instrument performance. He is currently active primarily with Collegium Vocale Gent and the Orchestre des Champs-Elysees.
Herreweghe said, "Collegium Vocale Gent and the Orchestre des Champs-Elysees are my musical foundation and the places that shaped my life," adding, "They gave me the strength to leave the path of psychiatry and become a full-time musician."
Herreweghe explained that although he has conducted the Mass in B minor about 200 times in his life, it always feels new and special. "I have performed the Mass in B minor and the St. Matthew Passion countless times, but every time I discover something new in the score. There are moments when I hear music I have never heard before, or notice points or pronunciations I had not seen previously. That is what makes this work special for me."
Herreweghe said, "The Mass in B minor is not a simple work, but rather can be described as an 'ontological journey.' It encapsulates decades of Bach's experience, theological depth, contrapuntal mastery, and spiritual power." He continued, "Although I have performed and recorded almost all of Bach's works with Collegium Vocale Gent, the Mass in B minor stands out among them." He added, "This piece, beyond its functional role as a mass, seems to embody a musical intention to achieve profound 'spiritual universality' through its integrative power."
Herreweghe explained that the reason for performing on period instruments from Bach's era is to more authentically realize the sound world that Bach envisioned. Even when playing period instruments, he minimizes vibrato and pursues a uniform timbre, focusing on producing a transparent and refined sound.
Herreweghe said, "The sound of period instruments is more transparent and warm, offering rhetorical clarity that allows the structure and meaning of the music to be felt more directly." He added, "The balance between voices and instruments becomes more natural, and the music breathes anew in a lighter, more intimate, and spiritual way. Through this, Bach's voice is conveyed not 'louder,' but 'more truthfully.'"
Following their performance in Seoul, Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent will also perform at the Daejeon Arts Center on September 19 and at the Art Center Incheon on September 20. Soprano Marie Luise Werneburg, Yerin Mira, countertenor Alex Potter, tenor Guy Cutting, and bass Johannes Kammler will join them on stage.
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