Bach B Minor Mass

Portsmouth Choral Union, Bach B Minor Mass,

St. Mary's, Fratton, 12 November

On 27th March, 1993, I was at St. Mary's for the Portsmouth Choral Union's previous performance of Bach's B Minor Mass and, so 18 and a half years later, I thought I'd better go and have another helping.

What I remembered as a dazzling display last time was if anything almost frenetic in a place or two here, the choir revved up and enjoying their fortissimo passages to the full but for the most part they are spirited, the independent movement of each singer making for a pulsing, breathing body in the opening Kyrie.

Quite gloriously at best in such a fine setting in their red frocks and black for the gentlemen, they allow Bach to set out his calling card to the Duke of Saxony in no uncertain job application.

Robyn Allegra Parton (soprano) and Angharad Lyddon (contralto) are a superb duet , followed by a spritely chorus with glistening trupmets in the Gloria.

The highlights for me were Jack Maguire's violin in the aria, Laudamus Te; Angharad's graceful contralto in quoniam to solus sanctus and the impressive chorus Sanctus sanctus sanctus. David Webb in the tenor part was also clear and expressive among the four young soloists.

Among all his other array of talents, Bach is a tremendous writer of bass lines, as befits one who wrote cigar adverts and for Procul Harum, and the bass player was always a star turn. While in the chorus Contieor unum baptisma, one wonders that the lively, playful line isn't a little joyful to communicate such a dry-sounding sentiment as 'I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins' but Bach must have found it a very uplifting prospect.

One might be concerned that he has peaked too soon with two choruses done with such gusto still have to be relaxed back into more reflective mood before the final Dona nobis pacem but the choir are having such a good time of it by then one need not be worried about that.

It is, of course, a triumph and was never going to be anything else.