Midseason Newsletter
YOUR IMPACT IN FOCUS
HOW YOU BRING A MASTERPIECE TO LIFE Bach’s Mass in B minor: His final great achievement is coming to the stage in March, thanks to you! The Mass in B minor is Bach’s final great achievement and — through your generous support — your Seattle Symphony brings it to life in March. Through this singular work Bach sought to summarize his lifetime of creating music, and to write a piece that would be his legacy. For Ludovic Morlot, whose eight-year tenure as Music Director comes to a close at the end of this season, Bach’s final Mass was a perfect complement to his final season. “This music is life changing,” shares Morlot. “The first four bars by themselves are life changing. Every aria is a jewel.”
“Everybody has heard music
by Bach, but this is the best of the best.” – Ludovic Morlot
The Mass in B minor includes earlier works by Bach, coming together to create a sense of completion — of coming full circle. “This piece was written in different stages of his life, and it was only in his later life that he decided to put these parts together to make a mass,” explains Morlot. “Compiled as one work, it is a summary of Bach’s production over his career. Everybody has heard music by Bach, but this is the best of the best of what he created.” Bach’s Mass in B minor also represents themes of Morlot’s own tenure at the Symphony. “I have never performed it before, but I have listened to it again and again since the minute I discovered it,” says Morlot. Throughout his time at the Symphony, Morlot has consistently sought to explore new music with the orchestra and audience.
For the performances, Morlot and the orchestra will be joined on stage by a host of renowned soloists, including 2017–2018 Featured Artist Kenneth Tarver, who captivated audiences last season in Stravinsky’s Persephone. And as with Persephone and so many of the Symphony’s highlights during his tenure, Morlot will partner with Associate Conductor for Choral Activities Joseph Crnko and the Seattle Symphony Chorale. “To do this music with a modern orchestra playing modern instruments is a challenge,” says Morlot. “You want to be inspired by period instruments and articulation, but you must translate that to modern instruments and big spaces. The challenge is to use the chorus well. I have chosen to go with a small chorus to strike a balance with the size of the orchestra and to make this music feel true to its origins while resonating with our contemporary audiences.” Just as Bach brought together a lifetime of music to create his Mass in B minor, you help Ludovic Morlot bring together great artists to create one-of-a-kind musical experiences. “It really feels — when you listen to this live — that you become immersed in it,” says Morlot. “It’s a really visceral experience.”
Join Ludovic Morlot and your Seattle Symphony on March 14, 16 and 17 to experience Bach’s Mass in B minor for yourself, and revel in the music that you make possible.
TICKETS: SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORG | 206.215.4747 Bach’s Mass in B minor is generously supported by the Judith A. Fong Music Directors Fund. Kenneth Tarver’s performances are supported in part by the Melvyn Poll Tenor Fund.