St John Passion - J.S. Bach

St George’s Cathedral presents J.S. Bach’s masterpiece, the St John Passion (BWV 245) on Good Friday 14 April 2017; it’s first performance having been on Good Friday in 1724.

The work presents the Passion story in a very vivid way, through the telling of the gospel narrative in the words of John, with especially dramatic choral interjections depicting the crowd. The arias and chorales provide moments of reflection and the whole structure is framed by two of Bach's finest large scale choral movements. It is sung in the original German, with a translation provided in the programme.

The soloists include Arthur Swan, the South African tenor now based in London, in the pivotal role of the Evangelist. Bongani Khubheka, the young award winning Bass-baritone, sings the part of Christus. They are joined by top international counter-tenor Christopher Ainslie directly from performances in Madrid, and locally based singers Elsabé Richter (soprano), Nick de Jager (tenor) and Charles Ainslie (baritone).

The St George’s Cathedral Chamber Choir is joined by members of Audivi Vocal Ensemble for the chorus work, and the orchestra with authentic Baroque string instruments, is led by Suzanne Martens. The performance is directed by Grant Bräsler, the Organist and Master of the Choristers at St George’s Cathedral.