“Bach Mass in B minor” Reviews, November 2025
This performance was recorded for broadcast on ABC Classic. Enjoy it live on Monday, 22 November 2025 at 7.00pm or on demand for a limited period.
© Robert Catto
Reviews
Sydney Morning Herald
Capturing wonder of Bach is an anniversary triumph
Peter McCallum | 4.5 stars | 26 November 2025
“With his genius for contrapuntal combinations carrying deep musical and symbolic significance, Bach constructed the great four-part fugue, Donna Nobis Pacem, which concludes the Mass in B minor, so the pleas for peace pile harmoniously on top of one another, each beginning before the previous one has ceased and overreaching it (a “stretto” in musical terms) to create a sonic image of collective yearning.
The swelling sonority and translucent texture of the Sydney Chamber Choir and the Muffat Collective orchestra under Sam Allchurch in this number encapsulated all the virtues of the performance that it brought to such a glowing close: clarity, balance, judicious tempi and an absence of unwanted accent or distortion.
The striking opening chords that begin the Mass were sung with an unforced, open sound, allowing pure vowels and the music’s harmonic richness to convey the necessary emphasis. The ensuing expansive five-part Kyrie fugue flowed with a deeply embedded, unhurried pulse.
For the Christe, soprano Sara Macliver and alto Sally-Anne Russell created a nicely edged duet sound and their pealing imitation in the second theme was like the playful eddies of running water.
For the second Kyrie, the choir returned with a tone of measured seriousness. The choruses of the Gloria and the addition of a brilliant battery of three trumpets require, of course, more animation, but Allchurch’s broad metric direction ensured the music was emblematic of joy rather than over-excitement.
Concertmaster Matthew Greco led with light precision, aptly demonstrated in the nimbleness of his and Macliver’s ornamentation in Laudamus te. Illustrating the two-in-one theme implicit in the text of the Domine Deus section, flute players Melissa Farrow and Mikaela Oberg wove threads of silvery filigree against Macliver and tenor Andrew Goodwin, the latter singing with smoothly tanned finish and blooming projection.
Russell sang the Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris aria with full sound and rich colour, memorably bringing the same qualities to the darker depths of the penultimate Agnus Dei just before the final chorus. Bass David Greco enlivened the Quoniam and Et in Spiritum Sanctum arias with pointed, elastic articulation that accentuated the natural rhythmic emphasis of the complex melodic line.
While the orchestra retuned after the Credo, Allchurch regrouped the chorus to facilitate the double-choir format Bach uses for the Osanna. The regrouping also highlighted the broad antiphonal strokes of the Sanctus, which swayed majestically like great tolling bells and gave the music of the Donna nobis pacem (which had been heard earlier in the Gratias agimus fugue with the former grouping) a more focused, brilliant finish.
When performed as well as it was here, Bach’s Mass inevitably creates a sense of awe and wonder at the extent of human imagination and craft. What better way for Sydney Chamber Choir to end its 50th anniversary season.
Limelight
Bach Mass in B minor (Sydney Chamber Choir)
Shamistha de Soysa | 4 stars | 24 November 2025
“Sydney Chamber Choir completes its semi-centennial year with the jewel in the crown of JS Bach’s choral works, the Mass in B minor BWV 232, performed coincidentally, on the feast day of St Cecilia, patron saint of music.
Under the expert guidance of Artistic Director Sam Allchurch, the choristers and instrumentalists of the augmented Muffat Collective, finely led from the violin by Concertmaster Matthew Greco, with soloists soprano Sara Macliver, mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell, tenor Andrew Goodwin and bass David Greco, perform a stirring and finessed account of this showpiece of Baroque music.
…
It is a demanding work for five soloists, divided choirs and a treasury of Baroque instruments. The soprano solos, usually divided between first and second sopranos, in this performance are both sung by Sara Macliver.
The soloists are well chosen for their interpretation and vocal quality, with Sally-Anne Russell stepping in for Helen Sherman. Their timbres are well balanced in the duets, although the second soprano solo Laudamus Te allocated to Macliver, sits low in her range.
Matthew Greco’s delicately rendered violin obbligato in this aria creates an elegant partnership between the two. The soprano duet Christe Eleison between Macliver and Russell reprises a long collaboration between them from a popular recording and is a highlight. Other stand-out solo moments include Andrew Goodwin’s exquisitely phrased and floated Benedictus with Melissa Farrow playing the transverse flute, and a poignant Agnus Dei from Russell.
The Domine Deus duet between Goodwin and Macliver is radiant with Mikaela Oberg joining Farrow on the flute and feather-light pizzicato from cellists Anton Baba and Dan Curro and double bass Pippa Macmillan.
The alto aria Qui sedes is a chance to hear the expertise of oboist Adam Masters in a splendid partnership with Russell. The trumpets add a spritz of brassy splendour and the bassoons thrill throughout; the challenging aria Quoniam tu solus sanctus falls short of its potential.
The choristers perform the layers of complex counterpoint, sustained chorales and virtuosic choruses with skill and an adherence to style. There is meticulous attention to the detail of articulation, diction, phrasing and dynamic variation, the wax and wane of fugal subjects and countersubjects and the solid columns of chords in the chorales. The extended passages of choral coloratura are sung with pinpoint accuracy. The scarce markings on the original score leave the judicious choice of tempo to Allchurch, dictated by the text and the style of the music.
So much of Bach’s writing in this piece literally and graphically expresses liturgical concepts which Allchurch draws from the choir with practised and understated ease. The cry from the heart of the opening Kyrie takes us straight to a plea for mercy, its rising and falling two-note phrases looking above to Heaven and below to Hell.
The infectious Gloria and the Osanna bring sheer dance-like joy, derived from the Gigue and the Passepied, underlining Bach’s liberal use of dance forms in this sacred context. The firm lines in the Credo are an insistent statement of a pilgrim’s faith; the sense of mystery in the descending phrases of the Et incarnatus moves to a full-blooded attack in the explosive Et resurrexit, and the reconfigured choir creates a seraphic lucence in the rising triplets of the Sanctus, against the sweeping downward octaves in the lower parts.
The Dona nobis pacem brings the majesty and heft of rich, slow-moving counterpoint to the grand conclusion of this piece.
The Mass in B minor is a work of profound beauty and depth. All involved earn a standing ovation for this journey of skilled musicianship, jubilation, wonderment, penitence and redemption.”
classikON
Angelic voices and joyful trumpets – heavenly Bach with Sydney Chamber Choir
Heidi Hereth | 26 November 2025
“The full-house audience at the City Recital Hall were buzzing with excitement in anticipation of the Sydney Chamber Choir performing Bach’s Mass in B minor with the Muffat Collective Orchestra and renowned soloists, Sarah Macliver (soprano), Sally-Anne Russell (alto), Andrew Goodwin (tenor) and David Greco (bass). We were not to be disappointed in this outstanding performance conducted by Sam Allchurch.
…
After a moment’s pause, when everyone caught their breath and started returning to the real world, the audience burst into wild applause. Individual performers were cheered – they all got a standing ovation. What a great performance!
We wandered out into the city, oblivious to the rain…”
State of the Art Media
Bach Mass in B Minor: An exemplar of choral performance
Aryan Mohseni | 5 stars | 23 November 2025
“The Sydney Chamber Choir started off strong with the bold Kyrie eleison … Sara Macliver and Sally-Anne Russell emerged with the responsive duet, Christe eleison. The tone was keen and exhortatory. The two seemed to meld into one …
The Muffat Collective was uniformly impressive and never once slipped.
The choir was at its best in the Gratias agimus tibi. Despite the contrapuntal heaviness, the choir lightened it all with a strong sense of unity and robust articulation. It is clear that the choir invested much effort in this.
…
As always, Goodwin gave a robust and impassioned performance in the Benedictus, and it was all rounded off with a consistently solid Dona nobis pacem by the choir.“
Sydney Arts Guide
BACH MASS IN B MINOR : SYDNEY CHAMBER CHOIR
Paul Nolan | 5 stars | 25 November 2025
“A highlight for me of 2020 was the chance to hear Sydney Chamber Choir and the four members of Muffat Collective appear as string and keyboard pillars of a chamber orchestra delivering Handel’s Messiah for chamber forces at City Recital Hall.
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Fast forward to present day, to the climax of SCC’s 50th anniversary year, and another choral masterpiece has just been beautifully rendered by similarly small, engaging forces from the two charismatic, capable ensembles plus their guests. The City Recital Hall was at near capacity across its three levels.
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Sydney Chamber choir excels in the delivery of crystal-clear, delightfully detailed polyphonic layering. This performance contained cleverly contoured fugues for several movements which had a pleasing crispness, precision within parts as well as across the entire undulating texture.
The fine storytelling within the mass, along with the momentum guaranteed by conductor Sam Allchurch’s guidance, was ably supported instrumentally via Mathew Greco’s charismatic, detailed leadership of the assembled orchestra.
The orchestral accompaniment was a rich catalogue of what is possible from Baroque instrumental filigree. Greco’s charismatic and well-shaped realisation of Bach’s signature lines unravelling beneath solo or choral utterance was an authentic and exciting delight.
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Carving out Bach’s intricate lines with exquisite blend and independently shaped trajectories above the instruments were none other than Sara Macliver (soprano), Sally-Anne Russell (alto), Andrew Goodwin (tenor) and David Greco (bass).
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The quality of this performance, whether witnessed live through a future recording puts Sydney and Australia right up there with European Bach and choral experts from the Antipodes to Europe. That deserves another fifty years and plenty more choral cake and candles to come.
Artists
Sydney Chamber Choir
Sam Allchurch
Conductor
Sara Macliver
Soprano
Sally-Anne Russell
Mezzo-soprano
Andrew Goodwin
Tenor
David Greco
Bass
The Muffat Collective Orchestra
Program
JS Bach
Mass in B minor