Bach's choral masterpiece in Exmouth

Eight gifted soloists, a charismatic conductor, and sublime music will combine to create a memorable experience in an Exmouth church in under a week's time, believes Budleigh resident and singing enthusiast Sheila Birch.

The excellent acoustics of Exmouth's Holy Trinity Church will make next Saturday's concert a memorable occasion.

Mrs Birch will be one of nearly 100 choral music lovers who will be singing and playing in one of Bach's greatest works. Exmouth Choral Society will be performing his wonderful B Minor Mass on Saturday, 24 January, at 7.30 pm in Holy Trinity Church, Rolle Road, Exmouth. Members of Exeter Symphony Orchestra will accompany this inspiring work under conductor Brian Northcott.

The Mass in B Minor is such an established part of the choral repertoire that it may come as a surprise to learn that it is also an enigmatic work. For example, at what point did Bach, a Lutheran Protestant, plan to write a full Roman Catholic Mass? And did Bach himself really intend the full work to be performed on a single occasion?

The Mass was first performed in 1733, but did not assume its final form until Bach's last years, perhaps by 1748. It may be that the composer wished the Mass in B Minor to be regarded as a monument of his skill, for it is a work based much upon his earlier music, which he adapted and refined to meet a sacred purpose. In choosing to reuse earlier material he may have felt himself to be selecting his finest work, laying it out for inspection, and putting it to the service of praising God.

Mrs Birch, who lives in Victoria Place and has been a member of Exmouth Choral Society for ten years, is confident that the audience will be thrilled with the performance. "The B Minor Mass is a very difficult piece to learn," she says, "but the rehearsals have gone really well and we have a most charismatic conductor in Brian Northcott."

The soloists in the B Minor Mass are Elizabeth Drury and Alison Burnett, Mike Dobson and James Armitage, Philip and Thomas Hobbs, Julian Rippon and Michael Vian Clarke. The leader of the orchestra is Gillian Crew.

Exmouth Choral Society, whose origins go back to 1867, is a mixed voice choir of approximately 70 members. It enjoys an enviable reputation with a repertoire based around Masses and oratorios and gives two main concerts a year. New members are welcome and should contact Sue Kalaugher on 01395 273344 for further details.

The price for tickets purchased in advance is £9 for adults, £5 for children or students, and £18 for a family ticket for two adults and two children under 18. Tickets purchased on the night will cost £13 for adults, £8 for children and £24 for a family ticket.