We’ve added a new “perk” to this year’s subscription offerings:
Along with your regular subscription(s), you can purchase additional tickets for family and friends at the same discounted rate that is offered to you as a subscriber.
Music Director Jeffrey Thomas and ABS’ terrific string band transmitted…the piece’s emotional core…The dissonances marking “lacrimarum valle” (this vale of tears) and the broad cadence before the “Amen” section were gorgeously played. (Scarlatti: Salve Regina)
Thomas, who is unsurpassable as a Bach interpreter… was in charge, with a hefty assist from Corey Jamason’s obbligato organ playing. Thomas built the ritornellos perfectly, and Jamason’s nimble fingers provided the rhythmic thrust and crispness. (Bach: Vergnügte Ruh, BWV 170)
The orchestra played brilliantly, as it did also in a concerto grosso by Charles Avison, based on themes by Scarlatti. (Handel: Arias)
"inspiring singing from the chorus and the soloists" Historical Performance
About our new recording of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
from Early Music America | Spring 2008
This recently released recording, made at the 1994 Berkeley Festival and Exhibition by the American Bach Soloists under the direction of Jeffrey Thomas, takes the work on its own terms, chipping away at the monolith and giving us something quite refreshing.
This isn’t a performance for the faint of heart; Thomas and company pull out all the stops right from the start. The opening “Allegro ma non troppo, un poco” roars with primordial power, while the second movement scherzo is raucous and a prescient reminder of Bruckner’s great scherzo that are yet to come. There’s poetry but not torpor in the adagio. And the finale—well, the choral finale fairly blows the roof off. Timpani pound, brass snarl, and bass David Thomas proclaims the “An die Freude” like an Old Testament prophet. The rest of the vocal quartet is fine, as are the choral forces, and the sound quality, even 14 years later (why was this recording in the can for so long?), is a typical Peter Nothnagle production: outstanding.
—Craig Zeichner, Early Music America
The American Bach Soloists touch musical audiences through live performances, recordings, and educational programs that emphasize the engaging repertoire and historically accurate performance practices of the Baroque, Classical, and Early Romantic periods with a special focus on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach.
The entire catalogue of ABS' critically acclaimed recordings of Cantatas, Bach's Mass in B Minor, Transcriptions of Italian Music, Haydn Masses, and other works is now available for purchase or download [more...]
With our 20th anniversary just around the corner, we have recommitted ourselves to what we believe are, to our patrons, the most important areas of our work: excellence in repertory, artists, recordings, and historical integrity. We have continued to prove our longevity and determination to remain competitive in a richly saturated Bay Area cultural environment. And through the regeneration of our celebrated series of recordings, and a host of new releases soon to follow, we have revitalized the interest of the international early music community.
This season, like a colorful mosaic, we are fortunate to feature some of the most brightly shining stars on our roster, to showcase exciting new talent on the horizon, to present our acclaimed American Bach Choir in a superb program of their own, and to perform the works of Bach, Handel, Telemann, Scarlatti, and others with skill, scholarship, and panache. Please join us for “an experience to treasure for a lifetime.” [more…]
Jeffrey Thomas,
Music Director
About the American Bach Soloists
Named “the best American specialists in early music” by The Washington Post, the American Bach Soloists (“ABS”) were founded in 1989 with the mission of introducing contemporary audiences to the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach through historically informed performances, recordings and educational programs. Since then, the ensemble’s repertoire has expanded to include the entire Baroque, as well as masterpieces from the Classical and Romantic eras and beyond. Under the leadership of Music Director Jeffrey Thomas, the ensemble has achieved its vision of assembling the world’s leading vocalists and period-instrument stylists to perform the finest music with the finest interpretation. [more…]
Introducing the American Bach Choir
For years, the Chorus of the American Bach Soloists has shone in repertoire from the Baroque and early Classical eras. With the inception of the Choral Series in 2004, these critically acclaimed singers have been featured on programs exploring more than five centuries of choral music. To acknowledge this splendid work, the American Bach Soloists announce a new name for their choral ensemble: American Bach Choir. Experience what the San Francisco Chronicle hails as “Divinely inspired singing” and celebrate the incomparable talent of the American Bach Choir. [more…]
Praise for Music Director Jeffrey Thomas
“Thomas’ direction seems just right, capturing the humanity of the music…there is no higher praise for Bach performance.”
Fanfare Magazine
“Thomas cast the music in winningly immediate terms…a performance marked by crisp rhythmic focus and tender lyricism.”
San Francisco Chronicle
“Thomas united enlightened historical performance practice with native musical intelligence.”
San Francisco Examiner
“Under the dexterous leadership of Music Director Jeffrey Thomas, the choir produced sounds of remarkable transparency and body.”
Announcing
