I’d never heard the Bach Magnificat in D played live but had always loved my recording of it (by The Sixteen – click here or image below):
I thought SJSS would be a magnificent setting to hear the piece live – after all that is where my lovely recording of the piece had been recorded. I was right.
In the first half, we heard the Schubert Mass in G, which I enjoyed more than Janie did, although she quite liked it. It was followed by a world premier of a JohnMcCabe piece named Psalm-Cantata, which frankly did little for either of us.
But we did both really enjoy the Magnificat.
Below is a video of Nikolaus Harnoncourt with an unidentified choir and orchestra playing the Magnificat magnificently: