Every year, Holy Trinity presents a Good Friday Bach Passion. This takes place during the Good Friday vespers service, just as it was done in Bach’s day. We sing the Johannes-Passion (Saint John Passion) and the great Matthäus-Passion (Saint Matthew Passion) on alternate years.
These two Passions are quite different. The Matthäus-Passion is a work of huge scale and conception, with three choruses and two orchestras. The Johannes-Passion, on the other hand, is a typical early 18th-century German Passion, smaller and more modest in scope, yet still a beautiful work in its own right.
We are accompanied by the superb musicians of the Baroque department of Brussels Conservatoire Royal. They bring their exotic instruments: viola da gamba and piccolo cello, oboe da caccia and d’amore, violone, Baroque flute, recorder, and cembalo. We play at A 415, which is closer to Baroque levels of pitch. And the sound is wonderful.
The chorus for our Good Friday Bach Passion are singers and friends of Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral. They number around 35 singers for the Johannes-Passion, and up to 50 singers for the three choruses of the Matthäus-Passion. The year’s soli are:
- Soprano. Auriane Sacoman is a Masters graduate in singing from Brussels Conservatoire.
- Alto.
- Evangelist (Tenor). José Pizarro Alonso is a graduate of the Conservatory of Badalona (Barcelona) who works regularly with Gent Opera and many of the top ensembles in Europe.
- Jesus (Bass). Ian White is a singer in Canterbury Cathedral and a teacher.
The ensemble is directed by David Mitchell, Holy Trinity’s Director of Music.
Entry to this event is free, since it is a church service. However, an offering is taken to defray the substantial costs of the programme. You are requested to give as you can.
Please note that, for the solemnity of the day, and following the custom of Bach’s time, clapping is discouraged at the end. However, in Bach’s time, the etiquette allowed for the tapping or drumming of feet at the end of the service as a mark of appreciation. We suggest that, instead of clapping, you do the same.
Find out more about Bach’s Johannes-Passion (Saint John Passion)
Find out more about the Saint Matthew Passion (Matthäus-Passion)