Good Friday choral concert: St John Passion
Sidmouth Parish Church. Picture: Eleanor Pipe - Credit: Archant
The emotive work by JS Bach tells the story of Christ’s arrest, trial, crucifixion and death
The St John Passion, by JS Bach, will be performed on Good Friday, April 19, at Sidmouth Parish Church, by the Sidmouth Occasional Choir.
The choral work, last heard in Sidmouth in 2016, tells in music the story from St John’s Gospel of Christ’s arrest, trial, crucifixion and death.
The history is interspersed with music set to extracts of poetry providing commentary and reflection. There is high drama when Peter denies knowing Christ, and when crowds bay for Christ to be crucified, shouting for Barabbas to be released instead. There is also music of great beauty and quietness.
This was Bach’s first really large-scale choral work after he became Director of Music at St Thomas Church in Leipzig. He had to create the whole inspiring work, choosing all the words for it and then setting them to music. It was first performed on Good Friday, 1724.
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Prices at the door are £12.50 and £15, under 18s: £5.
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