It was first performed on Good Friday 300 years ago and many of our cathedrals are marking this special anniversary when they perform J S Bach’s St John Passion as part of their Holy Week musical programming this year.
J S Bach’s St John Passion – 300 years.
St John Passion is the earliest of the surviving Passions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was written during his first year as director of church music in Leipzig and was first performed on Good Friday, 7 April 1724. It has remained one of the most revered musical settings of the Passion narrative.
Baroque instruments will accompany the full cathedral choir for Newcastle Cathedral’s Palm Sunday performance of the piece. It is the most ambitious choral performance by the Choir since before the pandemic.
The Director of Music, Ian Roberts, said:
“We are particularly looking forward to performing Bach’s masterwork as part of Holy Week at the Cathedral.
“Three centuries ago, Bach’s child and teenage singers first tackled this extraordinary music.
“Similarly, for our young choristers this will be a very special experience, singing music of such great spiritual intensity along with some of the North of England’s foremost early music instrumentalists.”
Tickets for the Newcastle performance on Sunday 24 March can be found here.
Durham Cathedral Choir will join forces with the Royal Northern Sinfonia to perform Bach’s St John Passion on Tuesday 26 March. Tickets here.
St Mary’s Singers will recreate the 300th anniversary in Truro Cathedral with St Mary’s Orchestra and a star-studded collection of soloists. This performance on Good Friday, 29th March, will follow the liturgical settings together with congregational participation in some of the well-known Chorales.
Hereford Cathedral Choir will perform the St John Passion on Tuesday 26 March with Marches Baroque and a renowned lineup of soloists. They are offering reduced ticket pricing for those under 25.
Other cathedral choirs performing J.S. Bach’s St John Passion during Holy Week include Worcester Cathedral (Friday 22 March), Norwich Cathedral (Saturday 23 March) and Exeter Cathedral (Sunday 24 March).
