Johannesburg Bach Choir Easter Concert
Sun Apr 6, 15:00 - Sun Apr 6, 16:00
St Martin's in-the-Veld Anglican Church
ABOUT
Following our acclaimed 60th Anniversary Gala concert in November 2024 we proudly present our Easter 2025 concert. We will be performing Numbers 13 to 16 from J.S. Bach's St Matthew Passion as well as The Crucifixion by the English composer John Stainer.
The section of the St Matthew Passion that will be sung by the tenor and choir depicts the scene where Jesus instructs his disciples to go ahead to Jerusalem to secure the upper room for Passover. During the Last Supper, Jesus declares that one of the twelve disciples will betray him. In 15b, the distress of the disciples is portrayed very effectively with the soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices intermingling to ask "Lord, is it I?" It is significant that the word Herr appears 11 times in the score, once for each disciple, except Judas Iscariot. The chorale at the end of this scene concludes that it is I that should be punished in hell, but instead Jesus saved my soul.
The Crucifixion by John Steiner was composed in 1887 and the hymns in this work have been described as "full of vibrant artistry". Performances of this work are particularly popular in the Anglican Church. It is interesting to note that Stainer performed as a chorister in the first English performance of the St Matthew Passion in 1854.
Our Easter concert will be conducted by Ruth Coggin and accompanied by the well-known organist Theo van Wyk. Our soloists are tenor Janre van Jaarsveld and bass Hendré van Zyl.
You are cordially invited to join us for complimentary refreshments after the concert.