Grand Selection
- Date:
29 March 11 a.m.
- Duration: 180 min
- Hall: Main Auditorium
The Passion, a musical Drama
Johann Sebastian Bach could have composed operas, but he was never interested. In his youth we know he travelled to Hamburg, which was then the lyric capital of Germany. There, he encountered the highly respected opera composer Reinhard Keiser, whose music in recent times is being recouped. We know that Bach went to his performances, he also slipped in as an observer of a community which was so distant from his own. Neither what he heard, nor what he saw, encouraged him to take part in this world. So, he returned home to take his place in history as the only composer of the 1685 generation who never wrote operas.
Nonetheless, Bach’s cantatas oratorios and Passions are works of tremendous dramatic impact, calculated to leave a long-lasting impression on the spirit of the listener. In the same way as opera. If the religious content is an obstacle to this monumental piece, think of the St Matthew Passion as the opera Bach never composed.
From beginning to end a sense of drama pulsates in the piece as it agitates, surprises and touches the listener. Performed by specialists such as the ensemble Arcangelo and Jonathan Cohen, heirs of the grand British tradition of a meticulous historically informed and aesthetic approach, the drama of the Passion of Christ will leave no one indifferent.
Programme
Johann Sebastian Bach, St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244
- Musical director: Jonathan Cohen
- Evangelista: Nick Pritchard
- Christus: Alex Rosen
- Soprano: Carolyn Sampson
- Countertenor: Hugh Cutting
- Tenor: Hugo Hymas
- Bass: Thomas E. Bauer
About Arcangelo
Founded in 2010 by Jonathan Cohen, this British ensemble interprets Baroque and Classical music with a “chamber ethos”. There is no fixed membership or format, adapting its configuration to each individual project. The group brings together outstanding musicians and international soloists, and its activity includes concerts, broadcasts and recordings in the United Kingdom and abroad.
About Jonathan Cohen
Recognised for his passion and commitment to chamber music, he has forged a notable career as a conductor, cellist and keyboardist. He feels equally at home in such diverse activities as baroque opera and the classical symphonic repertoire. Artistic Advisor to the London Handel Festival as of 2025.
The press says
La Pasión apolínea de Arcangelo
Todo el Teatro de la Maestranza a rebosar y levantado para ovacionar durante varios minutos al final de esta emocional versión de una de las cumbres de la creación musical universal certifica el éxito de este concierto de clausura del Femàs 2026.
La Gran Pasión de Arcangelo
Y así lo corroboró esta hermosísima versión que ha servido este año para cerrar con broche de oro el Festival de Música Antigua de Sevilla.
La Pasión desapasionada
... hay que partir de la admiración por unos músicos y cantantes de primer nivel técnico, conocedores del estilo y plenamente entregados.
Excelente broche para un renovado FeMÀS
...tanto en la calidad general de los cantantes solistas, de la orquesta y del coro, aunque también de la 'puesta en escena',