Exultate Singers: St John Passion

Exultate Singers
Bristol Ensemble Baroque
Peter Davoren Evangelist / tenor
Frederick Long Christus / bass
Keri Fuge soprano
Martha McLorinan alto
Conducted by David Ogden

First performed on Good Friday 1724, Bach’s St John Passion is a dramatic account of Christ’s final days, from the betrayal of Judas to the preparation for laying the body in the tomb. 

Exultate Singers is joined by an outstanding line up of soloists, together with a specialist baroque orchestra from the Bristol Ensemble for this performance. The concert will be sung in German and takes place within a few days of the work’s 300th anniversary, connecting us across the centuries to all the listeners who have experienced the power and immediacy of this remarkable music in a live performance.

Bach’s first great sacred masterpiece brings to life the humanity of the drama. The choir takes on the role of the people, reflecting on the progression of the Easter story. The narrative is sung by the tenor Evangelist, exquistely beautiful arias provide moments of contemplation, and the entire work is bound together by chorales, German hymns enhanced by Bach’s harmonic invention. The work culminates in the intense and loving chorus Ruht wohl. This is ultimately an optimistic piece, the most personal and meditative of Bach’s Passion settings. 

Tickets are £16 to £28 with discounts for students in full time education and under 18s. Book online at www.exultatesingers.org/product/bach-st-john-passion/ or www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk, telephone 0117 929 4929 or buy over the counter at St George’s Bristol.