Some of you may already know that I've recently ditched dialup and hopped on the (broad)bandwagon. As a result, one of my newfound joys has been YouTube. I know, I know: big effing deal. You're allowed to yawn if you like, but try to remember what it was like for you when new. :-)
Anyway. Among my favorite YouTube clips are four excerpts — from a live performance in Warsaw, Poland two years ago by the University of Warsaw choir — of Bach's Mass in B-minor. I've compiled them into a playlist, in the order in which they would appear in a full performance of the Mass; and as it turns out (when looked at as a musicologist), the four clips together form a sort of choral symphony of four movements (Allegro - Andante - Adagio - Presto [or something like that]). The entire "concert" lasts about 15 minutes.
After the clips I'll talk a bit about why I thought this was worth sharing.
I have seen (and heard) many performances of this monumental work over the years. This one, though not the most polished of them — and by that I don't mean to imply that it's lacking in beauty or virtue or musicality — has somehow wormed its way into my heart, I think because it's so full of life and joy. And as I watch these clips (and I have, over and over again — I can't seem to get enough of them) I am reminded of why live music is so very important. No studio recording can have such a stunning impact on the senses.
I especially love the conductor, the marvelous Irina Bogdanovich, who literally dances — which is appropriate considering Bach's skillful use of rhythm and the dance forms of his day to enhance and make physical the deeply spiritual purpose of the music. I defy anyone to keep completely still while sincerely listening. And note how the choir, under influence of the music and encouraged by Ms. Bogdanovich's example, sways like a field of grass under a gentle breeze. There's no helping it. This is, in a very real way, just another kind of Gospel Music.
And so, on this day when Poland mourns President Kaczynski, his wife, and the others lost in the recent airplane crash, I offer this as a sort of memorial concert from the talented students of the University of Warsaw.
May that long-suffering (but inspiringly resilient) nation find comfort and peace in this time of sadness.
