Bach: Mass in B minor | Thomanerchor and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig

One of the greatest musical works of all time: The Thomanerchor Leipzig and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig perform J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor (BWV 232) in the Church of St. Thomas on July 28, 2000. The stunning backdrop to the performance is particularly fitting since Bach was music director of the church (Kapellmeister) from 1723 until his death in 1750.
(00:00) Hymn to Pentecost - Spriritus sancti gratia
(02:30) Kyrie eleison (choir)
(12:04) Christe eleison (duet)
(17:13) Kyrie eleison (choir)
(20:26) Gloria in excelsis Deo (choir)
(22:23) Et in terra pax (choir)
(26:52) Laudamus te (aria)
(31:01) Gratias agimus tibi (choir)
(33:53) Domine Deus (duet)
(39:40) Qui tollis peccata mundi (choir)
(42:22) Qui sedes ad dextram Patris (aria)
(47:08) Quoniam tu solus sanctus (aria)
(52:06) Cum Sancto Spiritu (choir)
(56:12) Credo in unum Deum (choir)
(58:30) Patrem omnipotentem (choir)
(01:00:30) Et in enum Dominim (duet)
(01:05:28) Et incarnatus est (choir)
(01:08:16) Crucifixus (choir)
(01:10:51) Et resurrecit (choir)
(01:15:03) Et in Spiritum Sanctum (aria)
(01:20:02) Confiteor (choir)
(01:23:32) Et expecto (choir)
(01:26:10) Prayer to Pentecost - Dominus vobiscum
(01:28:49) Sanctus (choir)
(01:31:36) Pleni sunt caeli (choir)
(01:33:41) Osanna in exelsis (choir)
(01:36:15) Benedictus (aria)
(01:40:33) Osanna in excelsis (choir)
(01:43:20) Agnus Dei (aria)
(01:48:04) Dona nobis pacem (choir)
(01:51:05) Credits
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) did not originally intend the posthumously named Great Catholic Mass (also known as: Mass in B minor or High Mass in B minor) as a complete mass. Bach, a Lutheran himself, composed four “short” masses (in F major, A major, G minor, and G major; BWV 233-236), which consisted of only Kyrie and Gloria - the standard in Lutheran liturgy at the time. For his Mass in B minor he reworked an additional shorter mass, ‘Missa of 1733 ’(BWV 232 I), which he had originally composed after the death of August the Strong, but which is believed to have never been performed.
It is likely that Bach reworked various previously composed pieces for the Mass in B minor, combining them into a complete mass as late as 1749. The pragmatic multiple use of one's own compositions is called the "parody process" and was common in Bach's time - in those days church music was simply music for everyday use. The Mass in B minor gained appreciation soon after Bach's death in 1750, and in the 19th century it was even considered the greatest musical work of art of all time. It still has a fixed place in concert programs today. The handwritten original manuscript of the mass, which is currently held by the Berlin State Library, was inscribed into the UNESCO ‘Memory of the World Register ’in 2015.
The performers of the piece are the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Thomanerchor and an ensemble of soloists, including Ruth Holton (soprano), Matthias Rexroth (countertenor/male alto), Christoph Genz (tenor) and Klaus Mertens (bass). The piece is conducted by Christoph Biller, the church’s current Kapellmeister and Bach’s 16th successor.
© EuroArts Music International
Watch more concerts in your personal concert hall:
• LISTEN AND WATCH - you...
and in our Bach playlist:
• BEST OF BACH
Subscribe to DW Classical Music:
/ dwclassicalmusic
#JohannSebastianBach #Thomanerchor #Gewandhausorchester

[@Kaktus_23]

Prf. Billers dirigat ist wirklich beeindruckend, wunderschön anzusehen! wow Ich könnte mir alleine seine Art und Weise zu dirigieren Stunden lang anschauen

[@AML2000]

Just a clarification about the director, Georg Christoph Biller. He resigned as director of the St. Thomas Choir in 2015 due to ill health, and died in January of this year. Bach was Kantor of the St. Thomas Choir School, and Kappelmeister for the city of Leipzig. The choir school was, and is even today, a public school run by the city, not the church. In Bach's day it provided choir boys to four of Leipzig's churches, not just St. Thomas. The main church back then was actually the St. Nikolai church, a larger edifice. Even today, St. Nikolai is the main Lutheran church in Leipzig, and many of Bach sacred works were actually premiered there.

[@edwardswilliamsj]

Muchas gracias por su comentario, me fue muy útil.

[@romulo-mello]

Hearing Bach's masterpiece being played by his choir in his church to his grave is one of the most beautiful things I've seen. Must have also been an overwhelming honour for the kapellmeister.

[@Peter_WoT]

Es gibt auch Aufnahmen, da singen sie im Altarraum, und dann stehen sie direkt auf dem Grab von Bach, nur ein mobiles Chorpodest auf dem sie stehen überspannt dann die Grabplatte. Die Kirche wurde im 19. Jhd. erheblich umgebaut, deshalb kann man nicht von der originalen Akustik ausgehen. Soviel ich weiß ist die Nikolaikirche wesentlich näher am damaligen Zustand (eine große Orgel wurde später noch eingebaut), sodaß bei Konzerten aus der Nikolaikirche die Akustik wohl näher am Original ist.

[@mpetersen428]

@@Peter_WoTVielen Dank!

[@tomarmstrong1281]

One of the joys of my life, from a young age as a choirboy, was to be a member of several choirs.

[@TurbojugendJoe]

Bach is at home, finally! A worthy interpretation. Rest in peace, Maestro Biller!

[@ffelegal]

I am going to watch it live here in my city tomorrow. Can't wait.

[@jankuypererland1111]

My favorite of Bach's genius musical performances. Blessed to have been in the chorus several times. Singing it with an orchestra is an amazing experience.

[@jackthethespian]

I’ve been a fan of J.S. Bach since I was a kid, and as a vocalist who has performed the Gloria in D Major, by one of Bach’s fellow baroque composers, Vivaldi, it’s one of my goals to not only perform his B Minor mass but also to visit the church where he was kapellmeister. When I first started listening to Bach I only listened to his instrumental works (Brandenburg Concertos, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, etc.) but now I know he didn’t have to go so hard when he wrote his big choral works, like this, the John passion and the Matthew passion. Long live Bach! God’s blessings from Connecticut.

[@barney6888]

One of the very few performances of this great work that I like. The Gloria in excelsis deo leading into the Et in terra pax is the most joyous music I have ever heard in my life. It's as though the light of heaven overwhelms.

[@JJJRRRJJJ]

When those trumpets really burst onto the scene towards the end of Et in terra pax… it’s just like pure glory and ecstasy. I can’t help but listen with really loud volume and headphones for this, and I can never sit still. Just a pure delight and thrill.

[@heidemariegarbe4867]

Bach was attuned to the JOY and the EXALTATION of the Cosmos.... and I feel that he revealed some of the 'Mystery of the Universe'...... And a big THANK YOU for no ads in this recording!!!! I will listen to this every day, if possible....

[@sachi01152228]

Boy soprano's voice was so beautifl. My soul., was moved stronngly ..Thank you so much!!

[@funfhof9155]

Immer wieder: Danke an Georg Christoph Biller für seine Lebensleistung, die musica sacra in Leipzig auf solides seelisches und emotionales Fundament gestellt zu haben. Im Zeitalter hoher Geschwindigkeiten tut es so gut eine gänzlich durch-fühl-bare Musik zu hören.

[@kaitlynreynolds5192]

It's so amazing that this choir has existed for 810 years now.

[@WorldifySanity]

It hasn't, people do die.

[@jan_Kilan]

@@WorldifySanity ship of theseus

[@arlen-wu7ot]

I dontn know

[@arlen-wu7ot]

​@@jan_Kilan2:37

[@arlen-wu7ot]

​@@jan_Kilantell me

[@berndnetzband90]

Danke,daß es euch gibt! Ein Hoffnungszeichen in dieser Zeit!

[@Six00001]

This is one of the best recordings of Mass in B-

[@jorgeurzuaurzua4011]

A warm performance of a master work, filled with tradition. Lovely music, lovely respect for tradition, for old age, for youngsters. This music cannot die. Many thanks DW. Vielen Dank.

[@JivaGoswami]

классная запись и божественное исполнение, браво!

[@ReedHarrison]

Oh my.. that's really gorgeous 🎵 this performance is my personal favorite.those voices are superb

[@lopezsantos6703]

Perhaps one of the most magnificent compositions ever made from the entire humanity, and composed by a giant of music Johann Sebastian Bach.

[@NYCBG]

And a Protestant!

[@napoleonisthegreatest.2448]

Not from "humanity"... This genial work was not made by others - it was made solely by Bach. And It was not made in Arabic countries, in Africa or in China. It was made just by a white European man.

[@UbermenschOst]

@@napoleonisthegreatest.2448 Exactly. Only white Europeans can save humanity.

[@napoleonisthegreatest.2448]

@@hannaalailan6743 Ha-ha-ha! That's just one envious, uneducated being! What are you talking about, you envious little one? No, Miserere Mei, Deu by Allegri, for instance, does not belong to the heritage and history of, let's say, China or Brazil! The word "orchestra", the whole definition of it in the modern sense of the word, almost every instrument spanning from violin to piano, Notes(!), great opera houses, the mere definition of opera, all the techniques of singing beginning from belcanto and so on - NONE of these inventions were made in any other part of the world but in the West - in Europe as well as the USA! And about the impact of the church: No - it does not make any geniuses itself, if there wasn't any church, there - either way - would be Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi and so on. The first sentence of what you gave written is just a good example of envious foolishness. The others are a mere devotion of proper knowledge.

[@konstantinosapostolatos3875]

I can listen to this mass a million times…it touches my soul so profoundly, I cannot put words to it

[@jonathanbayuo8803]

This is simply stunning and beautiful. Such beautiful voices.

[@kopik3229]

Великолепное исполнение мессы, яркий пример современной интерпретации музыки И.С.Баха.

[@robinmiric2027]

This is a totemic work! I was lucky enough to take part in a performance in a london as a boy treble!

[@fengfeng8435]

appreciate the performers for their long hours of excellence as well!

[@user-yj4kf9te2x]

Чудесное, потрясающее исполнение!

[@allenjones3130]

Rest in peace, Maestro Biller.

[@blumenlieder]

Excelente performance, me emocionei. É simplesmente meu sonho assistir pessoalmente algum dia.

[@FlexingClassicalMusic]

In the Embrace of Classical Elegance. 🎵🌌 The graceful cadence of classical compositions creates an otherworldly experience, transcending time and connecting us to the brilliance of musical masters.

[@charlesjules9569]

Fantastique, quel travail de repetitions cela a t il du demande !

[@alexintheland8745]

Beautiful balance. Thank you so much.

[@dante2469]

Bach es Dios en música clásica, su música me ayudó a superar una depresión hace 7 años.

[@kbkchoir]

This is the most beautiful version of this music I've ever heard. Thank you so much♡

[@Brad4Ellis]

So… I’m the only one here who finds this reading rushed, and the way the performance is led, nuance, levels, phrasing, echo effects, etc., are all rinsed away? Also - the occasional SUNG interjections by the conductor in random keys between sections - no one else finds that disturbing? Is this a convention I don’t know about? I bow to the wisdom of the crowd. Tremendous musicianship in the orchestra, I submit.

[@steffinotrom7350]

@@Brad4Ellis It's supposed to be that tempo. We are used to slower ones, too. Klemperer for instance.

[@ReedHarrison]

I agree

[@davidm8930]

Richter is my favourite.@@Brad4Ellis

[@steffinotrom7350]

I sung that in Leipzig with a different choir many years ago. Every note of the Messe is edged into my soul. Possibly Bach's best composition.

[@robinblick9375]

Not one of....simply the most sublime. How did this emerge from one man's brain?

[@tatie7604]

He used it.

[@scottiepayne213]

Guided by GOD HIMSELF, no doubt!😇

[@timdanyo898]

I am listening to and beholding beauty. Thank you.

[@Stefan_G.]

Bach paßt immer. Schöne Aufführung!!!

[@user-cv7qt2fp5q]

Merveilleux quel travail en amont ! Bravo à tous et toutes

[@jean-yves6469]

Incarnatus est....... Sublime. Tempo excellent. De la pure tradition dans une interprétation de Bach. C'est un grand plaisir de revenir zux sources de LA musique. Merci

[@janinakowalska3485]

That is beautiful. Thank you so much. Danke aus Polen

[@silv3r97]

52:11 This is what i imagine the Choir of Angels in Heaven to be like.

[@ReedHarrison]

This is incredible music

[@DWClassicalMusic]

We're glad you enjoyed it. Make sure to follow us for the latest uploads.

[@mysticmouse7261]

Bach wrote for boys and the Mass is best sung by boys' particular timbre - that is beautiful.

[@unitefight9113]

Danke!

[@hannaalailan6743]

so beautiful, thank you

[@DWClassicalMusic]

😊

[@oscaraquite5655]

This masterpiece.... 😍

[@Artist_Aejoo]

So Beautiful 😍

[@ALBICOMUS1954]

Herausragend das AGNUS DEI gesungen von MATTHIAS REXROTH!

[@gatomontes99]

One of my greatest joys -as a student- at the Peabody Conservatory was to sing the B minor Mass in the chorus (although I always choked during the Confiteor.)

[@Larox_kitty]

Danke für Video

[@DWClassicalMusic]

😊

[@litoboy5]

GREAT

[@archibaltic4031]

Wunderbar!

[@josegabrielortizrojas3669]

Thank you !

[@DWClassicalMusic]

😊

[@danielrequelme4527]

PERFECTO

[@fballiache]

Awesome!

[@bedelgez]

The day of the performance 28th July 2000 was the anniversary of 250 year's since J. S.Bach death (28/7/1750).

[@tjittekamminga5170]

amazing countertenor (qui sedes at dextram Patris etc) wow±

[@namahasharanam]

Музика, яка звеличує людський дух. Дякую Deutsche Welle!

[@DWClassicalMusic]

С удовольствием!😊

[@floriodivalgioconda9939]

Stupenda!

[@rafael.psantos]

Para mim, é impossível ouvir e não me emocionar.

[@graemedurie9094]

Were others in tears at the Dona nobis pacem?

[@tatianagelfeld]

Thsnks!❤

[@benfranklin9519]

The Mass is the opera Bach did not write. Great performance this.

[@DWClassicalMusic]

We're glad you enjoyed it. Make sure to follow us in order to not miss out in the future 😊

[@reeditable]

EXCELSIOR

[@douglasdickerson5184]

💙💙💙

[@zeevberar1663]

DANKE AUS TEL AVIV

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Grüße aus Berlin 😊

[@jonb4020]

Dieses Konzert hätte im Jahr 2020 nicht aufgeführt werden können, wie einige Kommentare zu implizieren scheinen. Im Jahr 2020 war Herr Biller leider zu krank. This concert could not have been given in 2020, as some comments seem to indicate. In that year Herr Biller was sadly too ill.

[@dannycassinellibarac9993]

Conclusions are like knots.

[@eduardoferreira1963]

This boys are now granpas!😜👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@lopezsantos6703]

I agree, or at least mature parents 😄

[@pisi0816]

@@lopezsantos6703 they are adults now. And most have children. :-D

[@lopezsantos6703]

@@pisi0816 Many thanks Christoph 🙂

[@shiralikerim1781]

👏👏

[@christianguenther6587]

Himmlisch ! Danke !

[@user-fs4ng2dh5t]

❤❤❤😊

[@felixfourcolor]

who composed "spiritus sancti gratia"?

[@vespid8960]

I wish he had made other works as great as this in Latin.

[@ricardodepereaygonzalez5687]

Las interpretaciones con coros infantiles y niños cantores solistas son excasas. Es mucho más difícil llevar un coro de muchos niños, a una ciudad fuera de su sede, que a un coro de adultos. Pero las obras originales están compuestas para niños también.

[@job2879]

47:14 horn Orchester Probespiel

[@BADRUBULDURA]

😊😊😊😊👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@violinhunter2]

The fiddle parts that Bach wrote for the soloist in his Brandenburg concertos and some of his choral works are more difficult than what he wrote for his violin concertos. I wonder why. Thank you for uploading this great performance. The B minor Mass is certainly a masterpiece but I still prefer the St Matthew Passion.

[@mariadoloresgutierrezrodri9545]

Bien

[@newvisions4468]

You are crazy

[@simonjager9259]

Bach und Würger Ring in einem Video, ich liebe yt

[@archinsoni1254]

This piece is up there with 9th.

[@JB-cp3bh]

This piece surpasses the 9th and everything Beethoven and others ever wrote. Not even being reborn 1000 times could they ever come even close to Bach. That said, the Missa Solemnis perhaps is a worthier competitor than the 9th, but still.

[@belphegor_tv]

The 9th is not even among Beethoven's best.

[@scottiepayne213]

Interesting mix. A choir that is just coming into it's own matched with a professional orchestra! GOD bless all performers in the name of Jesus!😇

[@JB-cp3bh]

I don’t quite understand your comment. Coming into it’s own?!?!?! Do you know the Thomanerchor has a history of more than 800 years, and it’s arguably the best choir in the world, right?

[@rachels.9984]

The Crucifixus is WAY too fast for my liking, but what a gorgeous performance!

[@macminator3000]

:')

[@scottiepayne213]

Key change b/c they are all young men? 😇

[@jiyujizai]

🙄🥀🌱💚

[@dennisdeemii]

i was thrilled to see no countertenors in the choir (or at least i cant hear them - the timbre sounds like boy altos) but then the soloists - not my cup.

[@scottiepayne213]

Interesting!😇

[@user-dn2vx5ov7q]

Мальчики прекрасны, но запись старая. Существует ли сейчас этот хор?

[@Peter_WoT]

Die Jungs sind jetzt erwachsen. Den Chor gibt es aber immer noch wie schon seit mehr als 800 Jahren.

[@christianfunke8584]

Den Chor gibt es schon seit circa 800 Jahren😂

[@Karlinberlin1]

I'll be happy when the male alto craze is finished. I think their are some real altos who could use the work.

[@boulia19]

Yup. I knew listening without seeing the moment the duet started that yet another mezzo got dissed, and not for the better. Check out the BBC Proms recording for a marvelous example of how wonderful the Christe Eleison sounds when the soloists’ voices blend nicely, which alas is not the case here.

[@asmerom3025]

Presumably the Christoph Biller took time off from his duties in Heaven to conduct this work in 2020 (see first note at the top of the page) five years after his untimely death in 2015

[@jonb4020]

Herr Biller starb im Jahr 2022. Herr Biller died in 2022. Und dieses Konzert hätte im Jahr 2020 nicht aufgeführt werden können. And this concert could not have been given in 2020.

[@RomainKapps]

虐traducti鸥鸟serait bienvenue

[@bexigah]

This is why conservatism never cease to be interesting.

[@naftalizuckerman3868]

всегда думал, что для органа написана....а тут хор...😮

[@voraciousreader3341]

UGH….a countertenor instead of an alto! _If they’re going to insist on “historically informed practice,” then they need boys to sing the soprano and alto roles._ *BACH DID NOT USE COUNTERTENORS, THEY WEREN’T INVENTED!!* Everybody know that horrid sound comes from tenors who couldn’t make the grade.

[@WinrichNaujoks]

Gar nicht mal so gut. "E-lei-he-he-i-son", und dann das Orchester mit seinem Bachstrich.

[@jiyujizai]

🙄🥀🌱💚