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classical music, opera, theatre
J. S. Bach: Saint John Passion
The first version, premiered 300 years ago in 1724
5 March 2024, Tuesday
7:30 pm - 10 pm
one interval
Béla Bartók National Concert Hall

J. S. Bach

Saint John Passion, BWV 245 (1724, first version)

The approach of Easter sees Bach’s passions, masterpieces of religious music, being played in churches and concert halls with increasing frequency. Together with some superb soloists – Ágnes Kovács, Eszter Balogh, Zoltán Megyesi, Bernhard Berchtold and Stephan MacLeod – and under the baton of György Vashegyi, the Purcell Choir and Orfeo Orchestra will perform the Saint John Passion, a work first heard three hundred years ago, on 7 April 1724, at Leipzig’s Nikolaikirche, where it hit the audience like an earthquake.

The story of the Saviour’s sufferings, told within the framework defined by liturgical traditions, is the subject of many great works from music history by composers ranging from Schütz to Penderecki. According to public opinion, the two most significant monuments in the genre of the passion are the two by Johann Sebastian Bach: the earlier John and, dating from three years later, the other based on the text of the Gospel of Matthew. What both works share is how they entrust the greatest task to the tenor part of the Evangelist: he is the narrator of the story. Analysts consider the shorter Saint John Passion to be the more dramatic and direct in tone, while the longer Saint Matthew Passion is presented more abstractly and with more philosophical content. In addition to the artistic form of the original performance, the Saint John Passion went through three later versions: this concert presents the audience with the original version of the composition, consisting of recitatives, arias, choruses and chorales, alternating between narratives and moments of reflection. The team of Hungarian, Austrian and Swiss soloists are outstanding connoisseurs of the style, and György Vashegyi, the conductor of the Purcell Choir and Orfeo Orchestra, which he has directed since founding them more than thirty years, is Hungary’s leading interpreter of the Bach passions.

Presented by: Haydneum – Hungarian Centre for Early Music

Conductor:

György Vashegyi

Featuring:

soprano Ágnes Kovács
alto Eszter Balogh
tenor Zoltán Megyesi, Bernhard Berchtold
bass Stephan MacLeod
Purcell Choir
Orfeo Orchestra (on period instruments)
  • We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.

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