Composed for Good Friday 1724 and revised through several Leipzig versions, Bach’s St. John Passion unfolds in two parts, bringing together Gospel narration, expressive arias, and chorales long familiar to Bach’s congregation. Tenor Gregório Taniguchi’s “emotionally piercing” Evangelist recounts the scenes of John 18–19 with gripping immediacy, while the chorus and orchestra animate the crowd scenes and offer reflective commentary as the story unfolds. Through this balance of urgency and reflection, this epic work speaks across centuries with a clarity that feels unexpectedly present today.
Gregório Taniguchi, Evangelist
Enrico Lagasca, Christus
Edmund Milly, Pilate
Enrico Lagasca, Christus
Edmund Milly, Pilate
Amy Broadbent, soprano
Sylvia Leith, alto
Jacob Perry Jr., tenor
Sylvia Leith, alto
Jacob Perry Jr., tenor
Join us for Talking Bach at 3 p.m.! This series of free pre-concert lectures by noted Bach scholar Michael Marissen is presented one hour before Director’s Series performances.
The Honorable & Mrs. John D. Rockefeller IV, Barbara Bankoff & Robert Crandall, Hope P. McGowan, underwriters
