With the wealth of music that has been written over the centuries, it’s no surprise that some pieces are seldom performed. Still, when a piece composed in the early 18th century is making its West Coast debut, while also being performed only for the second time in the U.S., it’s an occasion worth noting.
The piece is Antonio Lotti’s Mass for Three Choirs, which, along with Bach’s Magnificat in D Major, will comprise the season finale for the American Bach Soloists. There are extenuating circumstances for why Lotti’s work hasn’t been heard here before: It wasn’t rediscovered until late in the last century. In 1995 it was presented as a gift to Harvard University, where it was first performed in this country.
ABS Music Director Jeffrey Thomas enjoys Lotti’s music, and when this piece came to light, his interest was piqued. After all, it’s always exciting both to have a “new” work, even if it is several hundred years old, and to be part of a premiere. Although he probably would have liked to present it earlier, he mentions that it took a fairly long time to acquire a copy of the score. He also feels excited about how well Lotti’s piece fits with the more familiar Bach Magnificat. He notes that “they’re completely different, but they have interesting parallels.” One such parallel is a connection with the town of Dresden. Thomas suggests that Lotti’s piece may have been composed there, and for composers of that era, including Bach, Dresden was a musical powerhouse, known for its fantastic wealth of musical events. There’s a good chance that Bach and Lotti even met in that city.
Lotti’s Mass also showcases various styles within the piece. Each movement is radically different. As Thomas says, “There may be four voices, or 12 or 13 voices.” It meshes well with Bach’s work.
Then there are the harmonies. Thomas’ favorite composers, Purcell and Bach, “spun the science of harmony as far as it could go at that time.” He calls Lotti’s piece an adventure in harmony, as well, which takes certain risks that sound somewhat surprising to modern ears.
In addition to enjoying both works for their intrinsic musical integrity, listeners can also enjoy the performance for the sheer musicality of the performers. The orchestra includes a number of musicians who are well-known in their own right, some of whom have produced solo recordings for major labels. The American Bach Choir has also made a name for itself, and the five featured soloists were all members of the American Bach Soloists.
For Thomas, this not only makes it a privilege to work with such tremendously talented people, but also augurs well for early music’s being increasingly performed. “The future of music depends on the virtuosity of the players,” he says. “It’s wonderful to discover the opposite of what was most feared about early music — that it would become too mainstream and lose the ability to stand on its own.” Instead, he finds that newer generations of musicians are studying early music with both passion and a perspective that incorporates music from all periods.
Your chance to hear this passion comes the first weekend in May. It promises to be a glorious celebration of the familiar and the new, even if the “new” is almost 400 years old.