After the frost, fog and freeze of winter, the Danesborough Chorus Spring Concert will be bringing Easter warmth to a performance of J S Bach’s St John Passion on Saturday, March 23 at 7.30pm at Woburn Parish Church.
“Bach was a prolific composer and exponent of choral texture, and indeed, Beethoven described him as the original father of harmony” says conductor Ian Smith. “As an expert musician himself, Bach realised the emotional power of voices to express religious beliefs and texts, and he brings to life the drama and humanity of the events leading up to Christ’s crucifixion - you can see why it is called the Passion!”
Unfolding the emotion and torment of the Easter story, the St John Passion is a dramatic representation of Christ’s Passion, as told in St John’s Gospel. The work is flanked by two massive choruses: the dramatic opening chorus Hail! Lord and Master sets the tone, and at the end, Bach writes a moving and consoling farewell Sleep well, and rest in God’s safe-keeping and a final choral hymn. The events are presented through recitatives, arias and choruses, with the choir frequently performing the role of the angry crowd!
The St John Passion was first performed in April 1724, soon after Bach and his family arrived in Leipzig. Bach intended to retain the congregational spirit of the Good Friday service, so he used a commentary of reflective choral hymns (called chorales) throughout the Passion, several of which are regularly used in worship today, and all of which would have been well-known by the congregations of his day.
The choir will be singing in English and accompanied by the Milton Keynes City Orchestra. The soloists are Bethany Seymour (soprano), Robert Ogden (counter tenor), Andrew King (tenor, the Evangelist), Simon Berridge (tenor), Johnny Herford (baritone) and Callum Thorpe (bass baritone, Christus).
Tickets for the concert are £20 and £16 (reserved) and £10 (unreserved), and the price includes a free concert programme. For tickets, call the Box Office on 01908 583460, or visit website www.danesborough.org.uk.