Bach Collegium Japan Residency, Barbican Centre

Nothing travels quite like classical music. A few decades ago, Japan wasn’t a place you’d expect to find a world-class choral ensemble devoted to Bach. And yet, since 1990, there has been one. Masaaki Suzuki’s Bach Collegium Japan quietly built up a reputation as some of the most enchanting interpreters of the unmatched baroque genius.
In April, as part of the Barbican Centre’s 2015/16 season, the Collegium will be visiting London for a two-day residency. This is an opportunity to see specialists focusing on their core repertoire, bringing their depth of understanding to some of the most beguiling music ever composed.
At 19:30 on Apr 8, they will commence their residency with the titanic Mass in B Minor, commonly regarded as the supreme example of its genre. A compilation of movements written over several years, it nevertheless presents a startling unity of grace and grandeur. Performing the entire piece is a challenge that only the truly gifted can master. There’s little doubt that the Collegium will be up to it.
On Apr 9 at 13:00, the ensemble present an afternoon of choral motets and organ pieces in the atmospheric surroundings of St. Giles Cripplegate. Then, at 19:30, they will return to the hall for a final flourish. After the instrumental Orchestral Suite No.3 and Concerto for two violins, two pieces of the highest order, they will perform the cantata fragment ‘Bekennen will ich seinen Namen’, a calming alto solo before the rousing finish: the Magnificat, a triumphant Biblical setting. Throughout the day, there will be talks from the Collegium and leading Bach scholars about the composer’s music.
Tickets for the two hall concerts run from £18 to £48 including booking fee, with Young Barbican discounts for 16-25 year olds; tickets for the afternoon concert are £20.50 with the fee.