The Bach Choir of Bethlehem

THE 100th BETHLEHEM BACH FESTIVAL IN REVIEW
(to see more photos, click here)

After hearing the choir in its 100th annual Bach Festival, I can say that Wolle’s legacy is an American musical treasure…Certainly Friday’s ‘Matthew Passion’ and Saturday’s Mass were well worth the pilgrimage from New York. These Bach singers come from all walks of life here. But together they sing with a fervor and a level of musicianship that carries one away—from bass to soprano, the supple strength and solidly integrated tone of this amateur choir reflects the most admirable qualities of the European-American tradition of choral song. Mr. Funfgeld’s long relationship with the choir and musicians was apparent in the fine choral and instrumental balances he achieved, the clarity of the contrapuntal textures throughout, and his thoughtful tempos…
—Barrymore Laurence Scherer, Wall Street Journal, May, 2007

By all accounts the chorus remains as vital an institution as ever…The B-Minor Mass performance was rousing, committed and touching…Bach’s ‘St. Matthew Passion’ too was ardently and lovingly performed…
—James R. Oestreich, New York Times, May 2007

The Bethlehem Bach Festival looms in the classical music world much as the Statue of Liberty does…contrary to trends of recent decades, this is big chorus Bach…spots so intricate that they’re often reassigned to soloists—the “Et iterum venutrus” in the Credo, for one—were managed with spectacular unanimity. With long-cultivated wisdom, Funfgeld discreetly accented key gestures in any given fugal strand so that nothing important was lost in the mass of rich, well-molded choral sound…worth traveling for.
—David Patrick Stearns, Philadelphia Inquirer, May 2007

A triumphant feast for the ears and eyes…Taylor 2’s six lithe and athletic dancers reveled in the large performance space, stretching their metaphorical wings to the rare treat of performing to live music, brilliantly played. The result was spellbinding.
—Diana Morse, The Morning Call, May 2007

The choir itself was the ultimate star in this 100th anniversary performance…exhibiting a lightness, grace and tonal quality that was thrilling and moving
—Phillip A. Metzger, The Morning Call, May 2007

The new DVD “Mr. Bach Comes to Call” is a gift for the 100th Bethlehem Bach Festival, and a gift for anyone who loves how music enriches life and life enriches music. The story is charmingly, disarmingly simple…The script…is a lively blend of jokes and profundities, anachronisms and topicalities…It’s further enlivened by a winking, touching kinship between [Mr. Bach played by] McKenna, Touchstone’s producing artistic director, and [Elizabeth played by] Young, a granddaughter and daughter of Bach Choir singers. Director Maria Erades treats probing scenes with great sensitivity and playful scenes with juicy joy.
—Geoff Gehman, The Morning Call, May 2007