EASTER CONCERT: THE ST MATTHEW PASSION

Johann Sebastian Bach etched his name into the very foundations of Western cultural history. Bach composed his most important works while serving as cantor at St Thomas’s Church in Leipzig. The St Matthew Passion, an Easter oratorio based on the Gospel of Matthew and composed in 1727, is universally regarded as his greatest – and most moving– achievement. He could not compose operas because of his religious duties, but the Passion was still the most dramatic music imaginable, complete with arias and interludes.

This nearly three-hour narrative takes us to Golgotha, where Jesus of Nazareth faces his final moments. He is betrayed, condemned, crucified and finally buried. The soloists and choir sing the roles of Christ, Judas, Peter, the High Priests and the people, accompanied by the orchestra, which acts as an impartial narrator.