Bach’s Mass in B Minor

For over 60 years, I have been engaged—more or less professionally—with music. I cannot imagine a single day without it: whether it’s the piece I am currently preparing for performance, a melody that lingers in my mind no matter how hard I try to dismiss it, or simply music as a faithful companion that helps me endure tedious conversations or enhance moments, whether pleasant or otherwise.

That I became a conductor was, like so many things in my life, a mere coincidence. It just happened, and I found myself as Regens Chori in a Viennese church. Soon, it was not only the Latin Masses of the Viennese Classical period that captivated me, but above all, the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. They fascinated me in a way I had never experienced before, even as an instrumentalist on the cello.

As a beginner, I dared to approach his cantatas. I performed the Passions—technically clumsy, yet with fervent enthusiasm. For ten years, I had the honor of leading an ensemble in the Netherlands, the Stichting Matthäus-Passion.

But for a long time, I deliberately avoided what is perhaps the greatest work Bach—or any composer—has ever written: the Mass in B Minor. We refer to it simply as that, just as The Ninth needs no further explanation when speaking of Beethoven. It was as if I had sensed that this piece would accompany me throughout my life like no other in the vast treasury of music.

Then, I was invited to conduct it. I studied the score as I would any other piece, and I believe the performance was not bad—yet it felt unnecessary. Another attempt, this time in the Netherlands, my second artistic home, soon followed. I studied even more than before, yet afterward, I felt even more inadequate. Perhaps this was the beginning of a true and profound relationship with a masterpiece that one deeply reveres, only to realize with every new approach that one will never fully grasp its magnitude.

“You think you understand the Mass in B Minor? That you truly comprehend it? Let me tell you—go out there, make beautiful music, and find joy in it. That’s the most anyone enchanted by this titan can hope to achieve.”

These were the words of a wise Bach scholar.

And yet, when a dear friend, a generous patron, approached me about performing this monumental work in Vienna, in this magnificent church, everything came rushing back—more vividly, more intensely than ever. The countless hours of study, the endless questioning of how such an overwhelming abundance of extraordinary music, philosophy, theology, and mathematics could emerge from a single human mind. The deep joy of delving ever further into its mysteries, and the humbling realization that, no matter how far we think we have progressed in understanding it, the essence of this masterpiece will forever remain elusive.

And then, as I stand before my musicians, conducting, I find myself battling tears—not just for Bach’s unparalleled genius, but for the sheer beauty of the music that we are privileged to hear. It transcends all knowledge, all study. It is simply… sublime.

Martin Sieghart

Programme

J. S. Bach: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
(h-Moll Messe)

Performers

Les Orpheistes Orchestra
Martin Sieghart, Conductor
Interpunkt Vocal Soloists & Choir

Soloists:

Cornelia Horak, Soprano
Hermine Haselböck, Mezzo-Soprano
Jan Petryka, Tenor
Rafael Fingerlos, Baritone

Venue

The Minorite Church is a Catholic church built in French Gothic style and is located at the center of Vienna’s historic inner city, in the first district and just a few minutes away from the Hofburg. The so-called Minorites were Franciscans who founded the Minorite Monastery in Vienna in 1224. The church building was completed in 1350, as one of the first Gothic churches in Eastern Austria. Ever since then, the Minorite Church is considered as one of the most beautiful churches in Vienna. 

Since 1784, the church has been owned by the Italian Congregation and has grown to become the cultural and social centre of the Italian Catholic community of Vienna. It is often referred to as the Italian National Church of Mary of the Snows.

The striking saddle roof of the church rises above the silhouette of Vienna's city centre and its "shot down“ tower is another striking characteristic of the building, dating back from the times of the Austro-Turkish wars. Since then, some massive alterations have taken place, the last major alteration being in the years around 1900, when the neo-Gothic annexes were built in which the Italian Congregation is housed. 

The Minorite Church in Vienna is one of the oldest and most artistically valuable churches in the city and definitely provides a unique venue for classical concerts – both acoustically and architecturally.

Minorite Church
Minoritenplatz 2A
1010 Vienna

Duration

The duration of the concert is about 2 hours, without intermission. 

Tickets

Once your booking has been confirmed, you will receive an e-mail containing your booking voucher. Please print it out or download it on your smartphone/tablet to show it at the evening box on the day of the concert.

In case you do not receive an e-mail in the minutes following the booking, please check your Spam folder!

How to get there?

The Minorite Church is located in the city centre. The easiest way to get there is by the subway line U3 until the station “Herrengasse” and take the exit “Minoritenplatz” which will lead you directly in front of the Minoriten Church. 

Alternatively, one can take the Tram line D,1 or 71 to the station “Rathausplatz/Burgtheater”. From there the Minoriten Church is a few minutes walk behind the Burgtheater.  

Cancellations
 

Cancellations are possible for this ticket up to 48 hours before the concert begin.