Live concert May 5, 7:30pm
Digital concert premieres May 6, 7:30pm
Masaaki Suzuki guest director
Joanne Lunn soprano
Tim Mead countertenor
Thomas Hobbs tenor
Jonathon Adams baritone
“One of the world’s great Bach interpreters … an experience that made both a musical and spiritual impact.” —The Wholenote
Toronto, March 15, 2022 … Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir is honoured to perform the first classical concert to be presented in the newly revitalized Massey Hall, Bach’s B-Minor Mass, on May 5 at 7:30pm. Renowned conductor Masaaki Suzuki returns following his “magnificent” (The Wholenote) 2019 Tafelmusik debut and is joined by guest soloists Joanne Lunn, soprano; Tim Mead, countertenor; Thomas Hobbs, tenor; and Jonathon Adams. This milestone concert marks Tafelmusik’s return to Massey Hall after an absence of more than three years. A digital livestream will be broadcast online on May 6 at 7:30pm.
Tickets for both the live and digital versions of the concert go on sale March 24, 2022 at 11am. Tafelmusik Digital Season Passholders will receive a presale window for the live performance two days in advance of the public on-sale date.
“We are delighted to welcome back one of the world’s great Bach interpreters, Masaaki Suzuki, for this performance that is part of Tafelmusik Chamber Choir’s 40th anniversary season” said choir director Ivars Taurins. “Tafelmusik is especially thrilled to return to Massey Hall after a long absence and we look forward to sharing Bach’s masterpiece in this cherished venue.”
Towards the end of his life, Bach compiled a series of masterworks which would represent the culmination of almost four decades of his compositional endeavours. The last of these was the B-Minor Mass—a coherent, monumental work of great dramatic impact that was never performed in its entirety in the composer’s lifetime.
A profound work of transcendent spirituality, Bach’s Mass in B Minor is widely regarded as one of the great masterpieces of Western art music. “With the B-Minor Mass, Bach took elements of the cantatas he composed much earlier to create this huge work,” says Masaaki Suzuki. “That was quite an important process of reflection for him, to remember his youth and also to reuse the music for these official, sacred texts. Each element of the music he composed earlier was a way to depict his own life. So these kinds of private, personal aspects are connected to each other, and I think that’s very interesting.”
Masaaki Suzuki is recognized as one of the world’s leading interpreters of the music of J.S. Bach. The conductor, organist, and harpsichordist established Bach Collegium Japan (BCJ) in 1990 and is revered as a pioneer who helped established period performance practice in his home country. Suzuki and BCJ have recorded all of Bach’s 200-plus cantatas—something only a handful of ensembles worldwide have accomplished. Their “extraordinarily vital, human, and emotional” recording of St Matthew Passion won Gramophone magazine’s 2020 Choral Award.
Read our profile on Masaaki Suzuki in the latest issue of Tafel Magazine, pages 8 to 11.
LISTING INFORMATION:
Bach B-Minor Mass
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir
Masaaki Suzuki guest director
Joanne Lunn soprano
Tim Mead countertenor
Thomas Hobbs tenor
Jonathon Adams baritone
Thu May 5 at 7:30pm Live concert
Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St
Fri May 6 at 7:30pm ET online Digital concert (livestream)
Available now by purchasing a Digital Season Pass
Single tickets for the live and digital concerts go on sale at tafelmusik.org on March 24, 2022 at 11am. Tafelmusik Digital Season Passholders receive a presale window for the live performance two days in advance of the public on-sale date.
Media partner: The New Classical FM
Tafelmusik gratefully acknowledges the support of BMO, Presenting Sponsor of the 2021/22 concert season, and our government partners, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
ABOUT TAFELMUSIK
Led by Music Director Elisa Citterio and Executive Director Carol Kehoe, Tafelmusik is an orchestra, choir, and experience that celebrates beauty through music of the past.
Founded over 40 years ago on the pillars of passion, learning, and artistic excellence, Tafelmusik continues to bring new energy to baroque music and beyond. Historically informed performances of 17th- to 19th-century instrumental and choral music (led by Chamber Choir Director Ivars Taurins) share the stage with vibrant, insightful multimedia programs, and bold new music written just for the group. Each piece is played on period instruments, underscored and illuminated by scholarship.
Through dynamic performances, international touring, award-winning recordings, and comprehensive education programs, Tafelmusik invites audiences to engage with beauty and experience the breadth of emotion music can inspire.
Website: tafelmusik.org
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Media contact:
Luisa Trisi, Big Picture Communications
luisa@luisatrisi.com | 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1X7