Vox Ama Deus Mass in B Minor

Radu the proselytizer?

TOM PURDOM

Valentin Radu raised some interesting issues when he interrupted Bach’s Mass in B Minor just before the final Dona Nobis Pacem and made a personal statement to the audience.

I can’t quote his speech verbatim but I think I can summarize his two main points. First, he wanted to dedicate the prayer for peace to the American troops currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Second, his audience was listening to a Good Friday performance conducted by a believing Christian.

Should a musician make such a statement during a performance that takes place in a purely secular setting? Should an adherent of any religion impose a statement of personal belief on people who paid to hear a great piece of music?

The American tradition of religious tolerance rests on an unspoken compact: We don’t impose our religious views on our fellow citizens. We may secretly think that all our neighbors are ignorant heathen destined for the depths of hell, but we keep our thoughts to ourselves as long as they do the same. We start to get prickly only when proselytizers ring our doorbells or shove pamphlets at us as we sit in Rittenhouse Square.

I think Radu’s statement fell within the limits of acceptable behavior in a tolerant, multireligious society. But he was pushing against the very edges of the acceptable.

How he handled it last year

Last year, Radu dedicated his Good Friday performance of Verdi’s Requiem to the same troops and followed Verdi’s last notes with a long moment of silence. The dedication was printed in the program and the request for the moment of silence was announced over the PA system before the second half. The moment of silence before the Dona Nobis Pacem would have been just as meaningful— and less disturbing to non-Christians— if Radu had followed a similar procedure this year. I think most of us can tolerate a touch of ritual when the text is associated with a sentiment we can all share, such as a hope for peace.

Some listeners may object that a ceremonial moment of silence interrupts the flow of the music. But Bach’s masterpiece is a mass, not a symphony. In a real church service, the different sections of the mass alternate with other events.

When Old St. Joseph’s Church included a Mozart mass in its regular Sunday service many years ago, the priest read off the usual list of announcements in between the Kyrie and the Gloria, and reminded his parishioners that the church would hold a pancake breakfast before next Sunday’s service. The priests in Bach’s day may not have advertised pancake breakfasts, but they probably promoted the 18th-Century equivalents.

Jody Kidwell’s rich authority

The Mass in B Minor is one of the largest items on my musical don’t-miss list. It contains some of Bach’s liveliest choruses and a beautiful series of solos and duets, with each piece in the series accompanied by an obbligato for a different instrument. Vox Ama Deus always turns in a solid performance, and this one matched their usual standards.

The four soloists all made worthy contributions but Jody Kidwell sang with a richness and authority that deserve special mention. Her Agnus Dei was the most moving solo in the entire evening. Bass Ed Bara produced a particularly joyful In Spiritu Sanctum in the Credo section. The words of the Nicene Creed can seem detailed and formalistic, but they’re fundamental assertions, and Bach created music that colors them with emotion.

The choruses included a happy, turbulent Gloria, a solemn but soaring Gratias, and exultant readings of the Confiteor and Osanna. The trumpet section was led by a Baroque specialist, Elin Frazer, and the trumpet line sailing above the chorus sounded especially bright and clear.

Radu kept the proceedings moving at a good clip, with almost no pauses between numbers. The Mass in B Minor is a showcase for Bach’s imagination and creativity, and the swift changes in mood, orchestration and musical content underlined the variety and inventiveness a great genius brought to every section.