Lutheran Masses BWV 233-236

Description

The Cologne Academy (Die Kölner Akademie), under the artistic direction of Michael Alexander Willens, presents Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Lutheran Masses” BWV 233 to 236. These four Masses with Kyrie Gloria, composed in the 1730s, a period of deep artistic consolidation, reveal a Bach of exceptional inventiveness. Largely inspired by his finest cantatas, they illustrate his incomparable talent for transforming older works through sophisticated counterpoint, rich orchestration, and a deep sensitivity to the Latin Ordinary. Long overshadowed by the Mass in B minor, these “Lutheran Masses” appear here as brilliant creations of remarkable architectural clarity: six movements that strike a perfect balance between choral grandeur and intimate arias. In this cycle, Bach combines theological tradition and musical virtuosity. Whether reinterpreting festive choruses, enriching expressive arias, or integrating older works into new timbres, Die Kölner Akademie elevates the transformation of older works to the level of a profound creative process, creating music that is both familiar and entirely new. By unifying the four masses within a coherent artistic vision, the Cologne Academy highlights their shared structural characteristics, vibrant instrumentation, and emotional palette. Die Kölner Akademie is an ensemble, including a choir, whose varied repertoire ranges from the Baroque era to contemporary music, earning it numerous awards. The Cologne Academy performs at international festivals and is broadcast on television and radio, in Germany and abroad. It has notably recorded the complete piano concertos of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Carl Maria von Weber and Felix Mendelssohn, recordings praised by the critics.