0:05 Kyrie eleison (Coro) 11:07 Christe eleison (Duetto) 15:56 Kyrie eleison (Coro) 19:43 Gloria in excelsis Deo (Coro) 21:25 Et in terra pax (Coro) 26:06 Laudamus te (Aria) 30:09 Gratias agimus tibi (Coro) 33:19 Domine Deus (Duetto) 38:39 Qui tollis (Coro) 41:39 Qui sedes (Aria) 45:50 Quoniam tu solus sanctus (Aria) 50:33 Cum Sancto Spiritu (Coro) 54:14 Credo in unum Deum (Coro) 56:13 Patrem omnipotentem (Coro) 58:15 Et in enum Dominim (Duetto) 1:02:38 Et incarnatus est (Coro) 1:05:52 Crucifixus (Coro) 1:08:58 Et resurrecit (Coro) 1:12:56 Et in Spiritum Sanctum (Aria) 1:18:13 Confiteor (Coro) 1:22:18 Et expecto (Coro) 1:24:30 Sanctus (Coro) 1:26:58 Pleni sunt caeli 1:29:19 Osanna in exelsis (Coro) 1:31:59 Benedictus qui venit (Aria) 1:36:22 Osanno in excelsis (Coro) 1:39:05 Agnus Dei (Aria) 1:45:17 Dona nobis pacem (Coro)

There is a joke among musicians here in Croatia. I apologise if it sounds sacrilegious, it's just a joke. When Mozart died Saint Peter welcomed him in Heaven and took him to meet God. As they slowly made their way Mozart was thrilled to hear the heavenly sounds of what he thought was the most beautiful music one could imagine. It was Heaven's choir and orchestra. Thinking this he met the Lord and the Lord said unto him: "Oh Mozart! I am very pleased you're here. You will be in charge of the ensemble." And Mozart, a little bit confused, responded: "I would be most honored, oh Lord. But... Do I deserve such a position? I mean, isn't Bach around somewhere?" And God looked at him calmly and said: "I'm Bach."

The Netherlands Bach Society was founded in 1921. Just to remind everybody that the Society celebrates its centenary this year. Happy Birthday!

I´ve whatched this video probably 50 times, and in every single one i think: "how could someone make art in such level of perfection?"

I love how clearly you can hear all the voicing. Truly the audio engineers who worked on this are every bit as talented as these soloists!

What a time to be alive. Flip on the computer, and enjoy one of the greatest performances of the greatest masses ever written. Anytime you want! Wonderful rendition, thank you, from Los Angeles!

As a 12 year old violin student, I remember telling my music master that this was the greatest piece of music ever written. I am now 74 years of age and i have never strayed from that insight shown all those years ago. Let's also give thanks to Felix Mendelssohn who worked diligently to bring back the wonderful music of JSB after a gap of nearly a century when it fell out of favour.

Interesting that Netherlands is such a strong force in the classical music world. Quality never gets old.

*Netherlands Bach Society* - probably the best KZfaq channel

The fact that this is free is absolutely shocking!

After a mere 10 minutes and 55 seconds... Twenty-four years of life with a tyrannically autistic son, the slow slow breakdown of married life, the stress, the fear, the denial, the repression of emotion - and yet the determination not to despair - all somehow revealed, dissolved and healed by the astonishing, heart-stopping, intensely redemptive beauty of this transcendentally penetrative music. Bach reaches in, takes hold of the soul, squeezes out the tears, and you are renewed. Don't give up; listen to Bach.

I have lost count of how many times my inner voice tells me that I won't survive another hour without Bach, especially this Mass, his other Masses and Oratorios. This brings back balance and the desire to live fully in this challenging and often very trying time. It is an endless source of comfort and inner peace. Thank you Johan Sebastian and thank you all musicians, engineers, operators and just everybody connected to this incredible project for providing this fantastic performance to the world!

I just came across this astounding performance. It has saved me from drowning in the dark waters of this hellish year. I am a conductor who has been deprived of live music since the spring that never came. This sublime performance (perhaps the finest I have ever heard) has helped to beat back the despair and deprivation that still hovers over us all. That such beauty even exists in this world is the greatest of wonders!

Casually throwing one of the best interpretations of the B minor mass out there, why not 😀

I don't think I've ever heard a more moving combination of really flawless solo performances, inspired collaboration of individual instrumentalists with the soloists, and the orchestral and choral forces. This performance approaches perfection at every level and in every way.

Sublime !!! In my opinion, Baroque was and is the pinnacle of all musical eras !! The complexity and perfection is just beyond the world !!!

How difficult it is to acknowledge that humanity is both able to burn our Planet and produce pieces of such absolute beauty....

That man who sang alto had a seriously angelic voice. Worthy of Bach for sure.

Small choir. Baroque instruments. Inspired performance by all. Simply magnificent. Congratulations NBS.

Bach is officially my favorite composer, my favorite artist, my favorite everything in music. In the Netherlands Bach Society gave a superb performance and audio rendering here.

this opening is defenetly the most majestic one of all classical pieces. It's amazing, unbelievable how only one human being could write this

What would my 2020 look like without finding Netherlands Bach Society? Isolated working from home, such beauty has soothed me through this difficult year. So much talent in this group. From the soloists to the regulars who seem to inhabit every performance. I seem to know many of their idiosyncrasies, and even glimpses of their personalities. My favorite KZfaq channel by far.

In the midst of the corona virus pandemic, being one of the people who can't stop working because my line of work is deemed as essential, my mental health is suffering. Thank you for this! Thank you so much! This is helping, tremendously!

This is the best live recorded Mass in B minor I've ever heard. The audio engineer is a genius.

Bach, a gift to the world. His music will sustain through the dark days of the pandemic.

I make no apologies for repeating that our World is so much richer because it was visited by Johann Sebastian Bach. I feel compelled to reiterate how these wonderful interpreters of his uplifting musical magic sound fresh to me, irrespective of how many times I listen to their awe-inspiring performances. Their originally interpreted, beautiful version of this magnificent Mass brings tears of joy to my eyes - and takes me to where I feel to be Heaven on Earth. Wonderful performance of yet another of the many musical miracles by the Master - which I simply cannot get enough of. I feel that the NBS rehearse every phrase until it simply cannot be further improved - thus culminating in performances which are about as close to perfection as what a group of Earthlings can hope to achieve. Many thanks to the Netherlands Bach Society of musical geniuses and most excellent interpreters of maestro Bach. I absolutely love your performances.

What a performance! Hearing the Mass without an oversized orchestra/choir and the souped-up romanticism we're used to makes you realise how this stands at the pinnacle of Bach's work and genius.

I believe this is the most beautiful piece of music ever written.

Perhaps the highest masterpiece in all western classical music. Superb interpretation.

How am I supposed to listen to anything else after hearing this glorious interpretation?

I’ve been a Bach fan since I was a teenager. I’ve tried the B minor Mass a few times since I was young and it never really clicked for me. Now at 35 I tried again about 2 weeks ago and somehow it was like a revelation. I’m now completely obsessed and am wondering what on earth I was thinking all these years. This is the greatest music I have ever heard. This performance being one of the best I have found so far.

From the inspired mind of a genius composer JSB to the humble ears of this plantation worker I can only say "Thank you". Superb presentation and performance by all. (From the tiny kingdom of Tonga - 2023)

An utterly incredible performance. The skill and quality of the musicians, the superb balance, and the inspired tempi come together to make what is arguably the best performance of the B-minor mass on KZfaq (for which there is significant competition). If you've ever sung the mass, you also know how much of a bear it can be and these performers absolutely smashed it. Great thanks to the Netherlands Bach Society for putting this on KZfaq. Very few groups can truly do justice to this incredible piece, but the Netherlands Bach Society has more than met the task. We are all very lucky to have such incredible performers providing this great cultural service.

Never has the final chorus, "Dona Nobis Pacem" been as meaningful in this world pandemic. Grant us peace, and Happy Easter!

Transcendent! I recall Rick Beato mentioning the Netherlands Bach Society as maintaining Bach music in all its original glory. Glad to partake of these delights.

I am also happy about the fact that such a relatively small ensemble can make music with such a huge impact. Sometimes it is not needed orchestras with 100 persons and a choir also with 100 singers. For me this is the perfect ensamble for this music. This music is, and will always be, wonderful.

Who's the recording engineer?.... the audio here is simply phenomenal , sincere thanks !

a dozen singers here sound like fifty in their intensity. A word of praise and gratitude to the camera work --- enhances the excitement immeasurably throughout the performance. Wonderful altogether. This Mass is not a piece of music -- it's a whole country to explore afresh over and over.

This is so extremely beautiful

The three greatest composers who ever lived were Bach Mozart and Beethoven… but Bach is the indisputable master of classical music, there isn’t a classical instrument that does not have one of Bach’s pieces considered by the instruments players as one of the crown jewel pieces to learn how to play and every one of these pieces is written with such skill that you must be entirely sincere in your performance, the way my great grandmother told me was that to play Bach well you must be humble, because if you are not any of your immaturities or impatience’s will be obvious, Bach’s music commands respect from every musician who plays his music and it is well earned.

Wasn't expecting to see anything like this behemoth of a masterpiece in my subscription list this morning. The recording quality is exceptional, and the music itself is extremely authentic and convincing. Not even 5 minutes in and it's already certainly in my top three recordings of the B minor. I certainly know what I'm spending my evening doing when I get home from work.

I am in tears right now. How have I never spent the time to listen to this masterpiece before? I am not new to Bach by any stretch of the imagination, but from the first few seconds I got chills. It reminds me of my recently deceased grandparents (of which some events still haunt my dreams and cause nights full of crying and regret, even 6 months after they passed away). I have never had a piece or work bring that feeling up though. I cannot do anything but admire and shiver as I hear this unimaginably powerful music. I am really not sure what to say, Bach has surprised me yet again!

Confession: I have been listening to this daily for about 2 months now, and also listening to his earlier masses and enjoying Bach's journey to the perfection of this work. Trial and error with every ingredient of art and viola. Being a poet of sorts and living with a consummate artist, creativity is a magical journey. Thank you, Bach.

This opening makes me cry every time, breathtaking

The magic of Bach is a given, but the NBS performances are revelatory. Watching these performances is a great support at this time of lockdown. Admiration and gratitude to the NBS.

What a beautiful gift to us during this pandemic when we don't see the beauty

A night of Bach while studying Spanish grammar. Two gifts of KZfaq.

I had the good fortune to sing the B minor twice in my life (nobody special, just in the chorus). I'm 71 and those two occasions remain among the few great high points of my life. Thank you Bachvereniging for your wonderful work in making Bach so richly available to all of us.

The Mass in B Minor...mankind's greatest artistic achievement.

Comme Jean-Sébastien Bach doit être heureux de voir et d'entendre Sa Messe en Si si justement interprétée. Quelle belle prière d'une heure trois quarts! Chaleureux merci à tous les musiciens et choristes, solistes ainsi qu'à vous leur Directeur, Monsieur Van Veldhoven.

I have heard this masterpiece many times, even played continuo in it, still tears burst out on this absolutely gorgeous rendition of Agnus Dei. What would I have done without Bach in my life!....

The most beautiful and powerful music ever created. Thank God for Bach!

I could hardly believe what I just listened to… your audience will be eternally grateful for your bringing these works to unsurpassable divinity.

And how WONDERFUL to bring back the harpsichord continuo, which has been sorely missed in this kind of work since the prevailing fashion for organ continuo took over.

Every morning Et in terra pax. How wonderful beautiful start for the day.

One of the most profound and astounding spiritual testaments ever composed, Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B minor is the summation of a lifetime of creating music. Unlike the majority of his music, which was written for church services, Bach wrote his Mass in B minor to leave a musical legacy. Source: Seattle Symphony

I love the way so many musicians are allowed their part in the limelight as soloists.

Thank you, Netherlands Bach Society, for posting this. For five years, my wife and I lived on a hill above the beautiful carillon tower situated on the grounds of the Iwo Jima Memorial. The carillon, generously donated to the people of the United States by the people of the Netherlands, was near enough our apartment that we could hear its chimes. I came to treasure the pure, musical tones as a peak experience from those years. Thanks to the Society, I've just added a new peak experience of shivers and thrills from this superb recording. Concerning the small number of voices, my experience in one of the choirs in which I've sung over the years prompts me to offer a comment. During my college years, I sang tenor in my university's touring choral group, "The Collegians." We were eighteen in number---four tenors, four sopranos, four altos and six basses. Our conductor, the late Gerald Ferguson, had made a side-study of physics. The first day of rehearsal he explained why he had limited membership to only eighteen voices when the previous conductor had admitted as many as fifty singers some years. Mr. Ferguson told us that, the larger the chorus, the greater the relative loss of some of the volume due to interference between the physical sound waves produced by voices singing at different amplitudes---that is, different volumes or levels of loudness. Professor Ferguson showed us graphs of sound waves illustrating how differing wave amplitudes interfered with each other to cancel part of the total volume produced. In essence, volume is a self-limiting characteristic governed by the number of sources. In choruses this means the more voices, the greater the percentage fall-off from the volume that would, in theory, be reached if all voices could sing together in perfect unison (synchronization). Putting it another way, in a choir, each singer's small deviations from the ideal of everyone singing in perfect unison contribute to a total interference that will reduce the volume produced by more than a hundred singers to that produced by eighteen singers of equal ability. Professor Ferguson arrived at these numbers with the help of a fellow faculty member teaching in the university's physics department. As intuition would suggest, our smaller group was able to initiate and release notes in synch with each other, and enunciate lyrics with greater precision than is humanly possible with a large chorus. That this greater precision made a significant contribution to our volume is supported by a newspaper review of a concert by the Collegians. Shortly before Christmas in 1968, we had performed an excerpted "Messiah" in the civic auditorium of the city of St. Joseph, Michigan. We were accompanied by the Twin Cities Symphonic Orchestra, conducted by Hendrik Deblij. The next morning came a review of our performance by Noel Gersonde, music critic of the Herald Palladium, a newspaper with subscribers throughout Southwest Michigan since the early 1800s. Gersonde said the following in his review, which I treasured enough to cut from the newspaper. From my yellowed and brittle clipping, here is an excerpt (italics mine): "The old adage about strength being found in numbers cannot be applied to the Collegians. _Only eighteen in number, they sounded like a group ten times that size,_ yet maintained every detail of quality from the enunciation of words to artistry in performing this difficult music. . . .This group, small as they are, _pronounced each word so distinctly_ and sang each note with such warmth and understanding one came away with a feeling of great awe, both for them and for the music. The director, Gerald Ferguson deserves a great deal of credit for training such a superior group. . . ." With such a glowing review, I happily overlook the connotation of surprise in Gersonde's wording, no doubt unintentional, that our precise enunciation suggested an inverse relationship of chorus size to clarity of pronunciation. That is, after all, the other great gain from performances of small choruses, as this wonderful video of Bach's great masterpiece demonstrates with this magnificent performance. While it's my opinion that performances of sacred choruses---for example, in the Messiah---too often drag out the tempo, I agree that the pace in this performance of Bach's choral masterpiece was spot on, as best served the music's magisterial message and purpose.

Look at how the two sopranists smile at each other at 11:07. Just beautiful to watch how connecting that music is and what joy they feel making such beautiful music together.

Très belle interprétation de cette œuvre magnifique. Le kyrie est un chef d’œuvre à lui seul.

Heavenly. Bach is the Master - and liturgical music is the greatest glory of European choral culture. I am a classical composer dedicated to church music, and I hope, with my works, to bring people closer to the divine, the beauty, the consolation.

We sang this at Memorial Church, Harvard, conducted by John Ferris, and it would have been the Fall Semester 1968 or the Spring Semester, 1969, I believe. In the church. How extraordinarily fortunate we were to be able to do this. The Netherlands Bach Society is superb, beautiful beyond words. Thank you! And, in these troubled times, we do need this inspiration. Praying for the world.

I was playing some of this on the piano. I had gotten near the end of one section when I realized there had been a key change many pages earlier which I had completely failed to notice. And I decided it was a testament to Bach's greatness as a composer, that even when his work is play incorrectly it still sounds good!

This will never be anything other than the best musical piece of all time. I've never tired of listening to or performing it.

Wow! Original instruments in a few cases (wood transverse flutes, natural horns in the brass section) without even mentioning it and, rather than being a “look at me” distraction, the sound and internal balance is just perfect. I’ve been a part of this piece before and heard several, and this at or near the top. Such a relatively small choir and yet they can sound oceanic as required. Excellent, expressive, committed soloists. Well done!

Probably the greatest opening to any piece of music in history

I'm working on an incredibly stressful, time sensitive project without much sleep today. The peace your beautiful performances of Bach are giving me is literally keeping me from tears. Thank you so much.

And it is still here. So lovely. Thank you Netherlands Bach Society.

Danke für die einmalige Aufführung dieser wunderbaren Musik.

This is exquisite in every aspect. Baroque music lifts your very soul to heaven.

When I watch this video it's tough to wrap my head around that this is these musician's job. This is what they do. They perform this music. I hope they know how lucky they are and how much all of their hard work has paid off. Just magnificent.

The most amazing performance and so well captured in sound and vision.

Some of Bach's greatest compositions were written in Leipzig. The Mass in B minor, The St John and St Matthew Passions, Art of the Fugue, the giant B, E and C minor organ Prelude and Fugues, the numerous Cantatas. Leipzig is where Bach reached peak spiritual and technical depth in his compositions.

The world is such a crazy thing. I keep wondering why people would dislike such a heavenly masterpiece and the superb interpretation from these musicians and singers. There really must be something wrong with humanity.

Superbe interprétation d’une œuvre magistrale. Merci 1000 fois.

Bravo many times over to the extremely talented Netherlands Bach Society. What a superb performance and interpretation of Bach's greatest piece of music!

It might be possible to overlook the Benedictus, followed closely as it is by the Agnus - and with a terrific alto. But it would be a mistake to overlook the quiet brilliance of the flautist. He makes the Benedictus look effortless. I love the way he very slightly lingers at the start of a phrase. It is so lovingly played. Thank you NBS for this performance. It has soothed my lockdown migraines!

when you realize that everything was build around ONE FUNDANENTAL THEME though it is endlessly complex and beautiful.

After listening to this more than 200 times and learning to appreciate, I come to the conclusion that this performance is the epitome of moderation, i,e., everything fits perfectly. I can not think anything can be added, or altered, or subtracted to improve it. Thanks, NBS.

Van harte gefeliciteerd De Nederlandse Bachvereniging Hoop dat we nog heel lang van jullie prachtige uitvoeringen mogen genieten, dat maakt het leven aangenaam.

A lustrous performance and recording of one of the greatest works in the cannon. A great gift this Christmas. Thank you, Nederlandse Bachvereniging for sharing.

You know something is GOOD when you have goosebumps from head to toe during the entire performance.

Wow, this is stunning! Such an incredible performance of a beautiful, sublime and difficult mass! Thank you so much for sharing your amazing talents and this beautiful experience with us.

This is one of the most beautiful renditions of this work I have ever seen. Beautiful orchestra, soloists, conducting and choir. Bravissimo 🙏🤍💛

wonderful performance. Remarkable choice of tempos, quality of voices, fusion of solos, choir and instruments. Bravo to all.

Superlativa esecuzione! La Netherlands non poteva fare altrimenti, le sue esecuzioni banchine rasentano la perfezione, potesse ascoltarle il grande Bach, si commuverebbe anche Lui. La più bella Messa Cattolica di tutti i tempi, Le opere del Sommo Compositore Bach, in particolare quelle sacre, resteranno irraggiungibili per diversi millenni. Grazie Buon Dio di avercelo dato.

What a terrific sound! - I confess to having this on 'repeat' 😊. The soaring part fills up my heart 💖

The ending of this is absolutely goosebumps and an overall a amazing preformance.

The music of Agnus Dei is so beautiful and heartbreaking, it brings me to tears.

An astonishing, heavenly piece of music.

So few people making such a wonderful performance of wonderful music. It seems a kind of miracle. Thanks a very lot!

I have just discovered this video, and I am overwhelmed with its beauty, majesty, and sheer perfection on every level. Thank you so much for posting!

This is - and probably will continue to be - the most astonishing performance of this glorious work. Thank you so much, NBS!

Just attend a live performance of this piece last night. It was so beautiful to hear in person and I am glad his wonderful recording is available here to listen to whenever I want!

Brilliant performance by a great choir, soloists and instrumental ensemble. Awesome Credo performance. All the Mass in B minor BWV 232 is one of the best Bach's vocal-instrumental masterpieces.

To add to the glorious sounds of the choir is the also glorious conductor’...always have to watch him😍

Thank you NBS! I'll say it over and over, thank you for your time, effort and commitment to bring us these great works. Sincere thanks to your performers, staff, organizers, recording technicians, volunteers and everyone else in your organization. Thank you so very very much.

An absolutely fantastic performance - thank you to all of those involved in its production for using your gifts and talents to enrich the lives of others...

This is right up there with the most powerful music ever written

The perfectly harmony between the canto and music. A masterpiece for the eternity!!!!