Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass In B Minor / Bwv 232

Jeannette Sorrell, the pioneering founder and director of baroque orchestra Apollo's Fire, always has unique vision for her interpretations of the classic repertoire. And so it is with this recording of J. S. Bach's Mass in B Minor that draws the listener into an equally fresh, intimate and searing emotional journey - from the anguished opening outcry through to moments of joy, pathos, triumph, and ultimately, a vision of peace. Jeannette explains, 'While music is always an emotional journey, I feel that Bach's Mass is an exceptionally cathartic and healing one for our time'. Aiming to emulate the intimacy of Bach's own performances of the B Minor Mass, which the composer completed in the year prior to his death, Jeannette utilises twenty-four instrumentalists and twenty-two choristers, including the five soloists. As summed up by Chicago Classical Review, which named Sorrell's and Apollo's Fire's live performance one of the Best 10 Concerts of 2025, 'Easily one of the most memorable concerts of recent years the vocal ensemble was inspired throughout The instrumental consort was in brilliant form, playing with unimpeachable balance and intonation and a sensitivity to the dancelike elements of the mass. Presiding over it all was Jeannette Sorrell, who with understated grace led her charges on a moving traversal of Bach's unsurpassed canvas'.