Sunday evening, it would seem, a good many folks were at home, feeling blue about "Avator." They should have shown more foresight. They should have TiVo'd Oscar and joined the hundreds of St. Louisans lucky enough to be at the College Church. There they would have experienced - not just heard, experienced -- an utterly riveting account of Bach's majestic "Mass in B Minor," sung by the Bach Society, led by its veteran artistic director, A. Dennis Sparger. It is one of those works -- Mozart's "Magic Flute" is another -- in which each succeeding chorus or aria gets better and better. No section of the work is a disappointment, whether in melodic grace, sophisticated counterpoint or Bach's ravishing ability to matching voice with instruments.

Sparger guided his large forces -- the 50-voice chorus, the 25-person orchestra and his four remarkable soloists -- wisely and imaginatively. Soprano Sherezade Panthaki's voice, rich and lustrous on its own, went wonderfully with that of tenor Don Frazure in the early "Dominus Rex" portion of the Gloria. It agreed just as impressively later with Bach Society Young Artist Debra Hillabrand in the "Et In Unum Dominum" portion of the Credo. Baritone Curtis Streetman rounded out the impressive roster. All four have sung with the society before; they functioned like a family.

Besides the impeccable chorus (as usual) my ears and mind nominate several other heroes of the evening: Concert-master Lenora-Marya Anop; musicians Amy Jo Rhine, Jennifer Nichtman and Jan and Thomas Parkes. Why? They served as superb accompanists in several impressive solos. Of these the most moving was Streetman's "Et in Unum Spiritum," accompanied ravishingly by both the Parkes. The always-reliable Elizabeth Macdonald provided the cello continuo. The tune is in an infectious three-quarter rhythm, nearly waltz-like in its effect, and almost Handelian in its lyrical grace. (Though Bach and Handel never met, one wonders whether the great composer might have had access to any scores of Handel operas or oratorios. Bach did not add the Credo section of his mass until the late 1740s.)

In any event, the foursome provided the most wonderfully heart-warming of many musical highlights. What I found particularly delightful was the sight of the head of at least one silent violinist nodding to the beat. That bobbing head and both Parkes' seductive playing made it all feel like being at the table of a deeply harmonious musical family

Nor, more good news, is the society finished for the year. In just under six weeks, it will perform a "Mass for Double Chorus" by Joseph Rheinberger. No, I've never heard of him either, but he was apparently the pride of Lichtenstein, a younger contemporary of the Austrian Anton Bruckner, and a prolific choral composer; the Mass is one of 12 he composed. According to the Society Executive Director Alayne Smith, the chorus first heard the piece the night after their stellar Bach performance, and "it is gorgeous. I don't know why it hasn't been performed in St. Louis before now."

Music Director Sparger notes that "we are performing at two new venues for us" and "the repertoire has been designed to include a breadth of literature." On April 24 and 25, the Mass by Rheinberger will be presented along with motets by Bruckner and a second half devoted to short choral pieces from composers ranging from Randall Thompson to Gustav Holst. The April 24 performance will be at 7:30 p.m. in Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church, 401 South Lindbergh Boulevard. At 3 p.m. on April 25, the same program will be performed at Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran, 2650 Miami Street.

Note: Some names were spelled incorrectly in an earlier version.