Bach Collegium Japan publicity photo

Thursday’s Hill Auditorium concert by the Bach Collegium Japan, presented by the University Musical Society, began with a minute of silence to remember the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that have so ravaged Japan. It’s possible that Hill has never been so silent while filled with an audience.

The sounds that filled the hall for the next two-plus hours were as awesome as that silence, though, as the Bach Collegium, led by Masaaki Suzuki, offered a sublimely serene, and often joyous, performance of J.S. Bach’s transcendent Mass in B minor. Striking from first notes of the opening “Kyrie” was the blend of chorus and orchestra; the chorus sounded as one with the instruments, its timbres unified with strings, winds and brass. The blend was stunning in the “Kyrie,” and it was stunning in the concluding “Dona nobis pacem.” So were the rolling, dovetailed phrases the chorus unfurled unhurriedly all evening, evoking in their sureness and security the faith Bach expresses in his music.

There were stunning choral moments throughout the two halves of the performance. For example, in the “Gloria,” explosions of joy, accompanied by trumpets, give way to contemplation and calm.

And in the second half, the chorus and orchestra movingly realized the ever-descending, darkening line of the “Crucifixus,” following it with an ecstatic, rapturously dancelike “Et resurrexit.”

There was a kerfuffle here and there with the Baroque trumpets and horn, but the colors of the instruments were so appealing and the playing so spirit-filled, it didn’t matter.(I loved those trumpet trills.) And how beautiful the instruments were combined with the voices of the soloists. One of the most moving moments came in the “Agnus Dei,” with angel-voiced countertenor Clint van der Linde, accompanied by the continuo, pleading for God’s mercy for mankind. Tenor Gerd Turk was also outstanding. He fluffed a note in an otherwise gorgeous “Benedictus,’ but alone of all the soloists, he was the one most concerned with text and the emotions behind the words. Bass Peter Kooij was fine, too, particularly in the low setting of the “Quoniam,” with horn accompaniment. The two sopranos, Hana Blazikova and Rachel Nicholls, were uneven in their vocal projection: both had lovely sound, Nicholls rich and Blazikova pure and focused, but they tended to disappear mid-phrase and in particularly as the pitches got toward the lower end of their ranges.

Still, this was a performance to remember and relish, deep, satisfying and finely wrought. Let’s hope that this excellent ensemble returns, its next trip unclouded by the circumstances of tragedy.

Note: The University Musical Society committed to donate some of the proceeds from the concert to relief efforts in Japan, and the total raised was nearly $10,000. Friday afternoon, Bach Collegium Japan’s management company, Frank Solomon, donated $514 to bring the total to an even $10K.