Friday, April 8, 2011 (8 pm)
Saturday, April 9, 2011 (8pm)
St. Olaf Catholic Church Minneapolis, MN
 
Tickets: $13.50-$43.50 (Service charges apply. Student and group discounts are available.) To order, call 612-371-5656 or purchase online at www.vocalessence.org

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (January 27, 2011) – VocalEssence and Conductor Philip Brunelle with the Lyra Baroque Orchestra and soloists Maria Jette, Lisa Drew, James Taylor, and Aaron Larson, will present the majestic beauty of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B minor as you have never experienced it before — with a simultaneous screening of German director Bastian Clevé’s film The Sound of Eternity. A lavish visual interpretation of Bach’s magnum opus, Clevé’s film is constructed of 27 short dialogue-free films that correspond to the 27-part musical structure of the Mass. The concert takes place on Friday, April 8th and Saturday, April 9th, 2011 (8 pm) at St. Olaf Catholic Church in Minneapolis, MN. Tickets for The Sound of Eternity are $13.50-$43.50. For tickets and information, call 612-371-5656 or visit www.vocalessence.org.

It took 25 years for German filmmaker Bastian Clevé to bring his life’s passion to the screen — a multimedia version of Bach’s Mass in B minor. The Sound of Eternity received its U.S. premiere at the Oregon Bach Festival in 2006. It is constructed of 27 short, dialogue-free films — based on the 27-part musical structure of the Mass — that lead us through alpine mountains and glaciers to peaceful valleys and pulsating metropolitan cities. The result is a powerful meditation on existence and being, the religious and the unexplainable and, ultimately, the circle of life.

Known as the “queen among masses,” Bach’s Mass in B minor is the composer’s opus ultimum and opus summum — the artistic record of a life’s work. Bach spent the last 15 years of his life at work on this significant piece, and it is the only complete mass that he ever composed, considered unique for the beauty of its musical expression. 

“For me personally, the Mass in B minor is an incredibly inspiring, reflective, euphoric and jubilant experience, almost as if, far from a single person’s destiny, a door opens into heaven. Out of this breathtaking experience the individual films have been created,” says Clevé. “The vision behind the film is to let the audience take inspiration through their ears and eyes, leave them contently carried away, feeling fulfilled and complete, and — one hopes — to keep this happiness for a little while.”

Called “one of the irreplaceable music ensembles of our time” by Dana Gioia, past chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, VocalEssence was founded in 1969 by current Artistic Director Philip Brunelle. Recognized internationally for its innovative exploration of music for voices and instruments, the organization presents an engaging collection of concerts featuring the 130-voice VocalEssence Chorus, the 32-voice Ensemble Singers (well known for their appearances on the internationally-distributed radio show A Prairie Home Companion hosted by Garrison Keillor), guest soloists and instrumentalists. In addition to championing lesser-known works of the past, VocalEssence has an unwavering commitment to today’s composers resulting in more than 130 world premieres. VocalEssence has released thirteen commercial recordings, including four WITNESS CDs of music by African American composers and artists available on the Clarion label.
 
For press information and photographs related to The Sound of Eternity, please contact Malia Cole (612-547-1459, mcole@vocalessence.org).