The Chattanooga Bach Choir & Orchestra, David Long artistic director and conductor, continues its 40th Anniversary Season with a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Op. 123, featuring violinist and Bach Choir concertmaster Mark Reneau as soloist. The concert takes place on Saturday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m., at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 8451 E. Brainerd Road. A suggested donation of $30 is requested. For more information, click here.
Beethoven wrote about his Missa Solemnis, “My aim in this composition for this huge mass is both to stir and constantly preserve the religious emotions of both the singers and the listeners.” For this performance, thought to be only the third in the history of Chattanooga and the first here in nearly 30 years, the Bach Choir expands its orchestra of musicians from the Chattanooga Symphony with guests from the Nashville, Knoxville and Huntsville Symphonies. Renowned violinist Mark Reneau, long-time concertmaster with the Chattanooga Bach Choir, will be the featured violin soloist in the Benedictus, a performance that marks Mr. Reneau’s retirement and final concert with the Bach Choir. Featured vocal soloists for this performance are: Melissa Larkin Schultz, soprano; Rosella Ewing, mezzo-soprano; Gene Stenger, tenor; and Matthew Hoch, bass.
Mr. Long said, “Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis (Solemn Mass) is one of the great masterpieces of western music. A deeply intimate as well as spiritual work, it is his longest and largest in terms of instrumental and vocal forces, creating a musical testimony that is a supreme expression of personal belief. To reinforce his intention, he inscribed the opening of the Kyrie with the words: ‘From the heart—may it go again to the heart!’ In the Missa Solemnis Beethoven treats the orchestral and vocal forces symphonically shaping a musical landscape that ranges from thunderously ecstatic to serenely meditative, especially in the exquisitely ethereal violin solo that highlights the ‘Benedictus,’ which in our performance will feature our retiring concertmaster, renowned violinist Mark Reneau. We look forward to bringing this magnificent work to Chattanooga audiences after such a long absence.”
Now celebrating its 40th season, the Chattanooga Bach Choir and Orchestra has been dedicated to performing choral and instrumental music from the Renaissance and Baroque to Classical and Romantic, 20th century and into the modern era since its founding by conductor James Greasby. Under the 20-year leadership of conductor Mr. Long, the ensemble has continued to engage audiences with vibrant performances of the great masterworks with outstanding singers and instrumentalists. During his tenure, the Chattanooga Bach Choir’s programs and repertoire have expanded to include an annual series featuring Bach’s Cantatas, as well as the Masterworks concerts highlighting a variety of musical styles from Handel, Mozart and Mendelssohn to Fauré, Duruflé, and Lauridsen.