On the weekend following
Easter Sunday, the stage of Calgary’s Jack Singer Concert
Hall will be subtly transformed into the hallowed halls of
St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany, where Johann
Sebastian Bach composed one of history’s most deeply moving
pieces of sacred music.
On April 9 and 10, the
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra will celebrate the Easter
season with a group of world-renowned vocalists and a choir
over 150 voices strong in a rare performance of Bach’s St.
John Passion. Originally written for the Good Friday Vespers
service in 1724, the text was taken from chapters 18 and 19
of the Gospel of John and is considered one of the most
powerful oratorios ever composed.
"Bach’s St. John Passion is
about the crucifixion of Christ as narrated in the Gospel of
John," explained the CPO’s Music Director Roberto Minczuk,
who will be conducting. "It is the story of how Jesus was
betrayed, how He was judged, and how He was sentenced. It’s
taken literally word by word from the Luther Bible (with
text in German). Everybody knows the story; everyone is
familiar with the text. And yet people will hear it
musically. How from the beginning to the end, the story is
told in music form."
The CPO’s dramatic
presentation of the work will take audiences back in time,
recreating the atmosphere of being in St. Thomas Church in
Bach’s own time, the 1700’s. Over 200 performers will bring
the story to the stage, including the 65-member orchestra,
the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus, and on church benches
flanking the stage, a large congregational chorus made up
from several choirs and individuals throughout the city.
"The Calgary Philharmonic
Chorus has numerous different parts," said Minczuk.
"Sometimes they’re the Jewish crowd, sometimes they are
singing hymns. We also have the congregation chorus that
joins from time to time in what we call the chorales. Bach
utilized not only his own composition but very traditional
hymns from the Lutheran church that were sung every Sunday
for the services. So, in moments, the congregation will join
the orchestra and the chorus and will sing these traditional
hymns from the Lutheran or Evangelical faith."
At the forefront of the
piece, four internationally prominent vocal soloists will
tell the story of Christ’s final days. German-born tenor
Christoph Genz received his first musical training as a
member of the St. Thomas’ Boys Choir in Leipzig, and he will
narrate through song, singing from the back of the orchestra
and "preaching" to the congregational chorus. Chad Louwerse
sings the role of Jesus while Nathaniel Watson takes on the
roles of both Peter and Pontius Pilate. Jessica Rivera and
Kelley O’Connor add their luminous vocals as the voices of
Mary and angels.
"These soloists are
world-renowned," commented Minczuk. "They have sung this
work many times with different orchestras in various cities
throughout the world, and we are very fortunate to have such
high quality soloists."
Maestro Minczuk considers
Bach’s St. John Passion one of the greatest musical works of
all time, comparing it to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. "People
must have the opportunity to hear this," he said. "This is
why we’re bringing it to Calgary and putting this in our
Season because it’s a work that people who haven’t heard
should get to know, and those who have should hear it
again."
Performances are on April 9
and 10 at 8:00pm at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Tickets
are available through the CPO Box Office at 403-571-0849 or
online at www.cpo-live.com.
