By Olivia Bunter
Johann Sebastian Bach’s sacred musical masterpiece St Matthew Passion was first performed on Good Friday in 1727 to an audience in Leipzig, Germany.
In less than a week’s time, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) and St George’s Cathedral Consort will celebrate the Easter season with a collaborative and uniquely interpreted performance of the holy oratorio at Perth Concert Hall.
Acclaimed organist and choral director Dr Joseph Nolan will conduct a carefully crafted two-hour performance of the orchestrated piece to Perth audiences on Tuesday 16 April.
Dr Nolan said he and WASO artistic director Asher Fisch, shared a belief in finding new ways to perform classical masterpieces, in hopes that doing so will prevent them from “dying out”.
“What I try to do is choose music that people know and love, but present it in a new way that they might not have heard before,” he said.
As part of the St George’s Concert Series, WASO and the extraordinary singers of St George’s Cathedral Consort will be conducted by Joseph Nolan to deliver a dramatic and powerful retelling of the event leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus.
“Whatever the age or background of the audience, the beauty of St Matthew Passion is that it’s a deeply spiritual piece,” Dr Nolan said.
WASO and St George’s Cathedral will present Bach’s St Matthew Passion at Perth Concert Hall on 16 April.
Acknowledgements: The Messenger
For tickets, Click Here