Mass in B Minor Leaves Patrons Puzzled

As a longtime subscriber to the Los Angeles Opera and a retiree living on a fixed income, I must take issue with Mark Swed in his review of the L.A. Opera’s latest presentation, Bach’s Mass in B minor (“Radical Ritual,” Feb. 4). From where we sat in the loge, a number of people walked out, there were many boos but no bravos, and we very much regretted the $172 we paid for the seats.

The orchestra and chorus were very good, albeit rather faint in the loge, and the soloists reasonable, but the travesty that took place on the stage was abysmal. It lacked any relevance to the sacred liturgy of the Mass. At best it was profane, but really verged on the blasphemous, and was extremely distracting and ridiculous.

LESLIE BENNETT

Canyon Country

*

I was present at the opening of the Mass in B minor and was also mesmerized, like Mark Swed, by the visual performance of the ensemble on stage. It was interesting, new and captivating--but also distracting. My husband closed his eyes to concentrate on the music.

Initially, my verdict was that it was a success, but on thinking more about it, now, four days later, my main memory is of the stage, the cube, the lighting and the dancers--not the music. For me, this is not what Bach is about.

ALISON DAVIS

Rancho Palos Verdes

*

Like Mark Swed, I also saw the Mass in B “Mimer” last Saturday afternoon. Unlike Swed, I sat further up in the house and thought the voices clear and the music wonderful. But what the heck was that on the stage? What a great idea and wasted opportunity! The mimes were slow, repetitious, distracting and ultimately boring.

Swed’s adulation of this rubbish doesn’t surprise me at all. In fact, as I walked out, my lament was that the critics would love it and no one would give me a clear take on Emperor Achim Freyer’s new clothes.

ROGER WALTON

North Hills

*

Bach’s Mass in B Minor can stand on its own. It is supposed to bring us closer to God and the mystery of man’s redemption through the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If somebody is going to stage this Mass, the staging should inspire the audience to experience this mystery. Instead, I spent two hours pondering these two deep philosophical questions:

1. What the heck are those people on stage doing?

2. Why are they doing it?

MARCIA McCORMACK

Mission Viejo