‘J.S. Bach, h-moll Messe’

Nobody knows precisely why Bach composed this great mass; according to some the first complete performance on 22 November 1749, exactly 270 years ago, was by order of a private society that held a great service in Vienna every year on Saint Cecilia’s name day. Fact or fiction? Whatever the case, this is a masterpiece that continues to fascinate through the multiplicity of musical styles and genres. Bach never left his fatherland, but today Vox Luminis travels the world with tried and tested performances of his music, and each time they return to Brussels and BOZAR it is like a homecoming.