The West Shore Chorale performs Bach masterpiece

The West Shore Chorale rehearses for its May 6 performance at the Magnificat Center for Performing Arts.

On Sunday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m., the West Shore Chorale & Orchestra will present a full-scale production of Bach’s celebrated and inspiring masterwork, the B Minor Mass. John Drotleff will conduct. The performance takes place at the Magnificat Center for the Performing Arts in Rocky River.

Among the guest soloists is Lakewood High School graduate, Phoebe Jevtovic. Now a nationally known baroque singer with a thriving career, Ms. Jevtovic is returning to her hometown to perform with the Chorale and her former teacher, Mr. Drotleff. Other guest artists include Mitzi Westra, mezzo soprano; Thomas Scurich, baritone; and Tyler Skidmore, tenor.

Drotleff says he’s passionate about performing the B Minor Mass because “it’s the ultimate choral work and a monument to humankind’s intelligence and imagination. At the same time it is the ultimate challenge for a chorus to perform this work and the adjective that best describes the process is humbling.”

Drotleff points out that despite the difficulty of mastering Bach’s music, the composer himself used only average singers in his choirs, not experts in baroque performance practice.

“The Chorale looks very much like a chorus that Bach would have used,” he says. “We’re a collection of teachers, engineers, IT specialists, lawyers, home makers, college students, high school students and some professional musicians who truly represent this community.”

According to Drotleff, it’s the emotional power of the B Minor that makes it one of the most beloved pieces in the choral repertoire. He says it runs the emotional continuum from great sadness to exaltation. Renowned classical music critic, Ivan Hewitt, says the B Minor “has everything – sturdy austere fugues, delicious operatic duets, great blazing triumphal choruses burnished with trumpets. But it also has its mysterious, occult side.”

Drotleff and his singers hope the community will come out and hear for themselves why the B Minor is considered one of the greatest works in choral music. “This is a  rare opportunity for people to come and see their peers and neighbors perform a work of this scale,” says Drotleff. “The Chorale is thrilled to bring this music to our area.”

Tickets for the performance are $15 and students of all ages are free. Tickets are available at the door, online at westshorechorale.org or by phone at 216-373-7773. Parking is free and handicap accessible. Magnificat Center for the Performing Arts is located at 20770 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River. Follow the Chorale on Facebook and on Twitter @westshorechorale.org

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Volume 4, Issue 9, Posted 10:20 AM, 05.01.2012