Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Presents J S Bach's St John Passion Reimagined on Easter Sunday

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' has announced the return of their annual Easter Saturday concert, presenting one of Bach's enduring choral masterworks, the St John Passion, interspersed with contemporary reflections from two Australian composers.

Written in 1724, and first performed on Good Friday of that year at St Nicholas Church, Leipzig, the St John Passion is one of Bach's most nuanced and daring compositions, setting St John's deeply human telling of Jesus' crucifixion to music of heartbreaking beauty.

Originally programmed as part of the Choir's centenary celebrations last year, this reimagined version acknowledges and elevates Bach's incredible legacy, bringing a modern-day perspective to the themes of betrayal, loss and grief his great work extols.

Composed in 2019/20 for an intended 2020 premiere, Los Angeles based Joseph Twist's Heaven, Tear Apart ("Himmel Reisse") reflects his experience watching Australia's Black Summer bushfire crisis unfold; whilst Sydney's Brooke Shelley's Ein Bachlein im Bach pays tribute to the son of a close friend whose life was tragically cut short at a young age.

Interspersed within the performance, these new movements highlight the lasting relevance of the St John Passion, capturing the fleeting nature of life and our worldly existence.

For many years Sydney Philharmonia Choirs have presented concerts of sacred music during Holy Week - from Mozart's Requiem to Bach's Mass in B Minor; thus it was with a heavy heart that they cancelled their planned Easter Saturday performance of St John Passion Reimagined last April.

Yet from this sudden loss sprang a new determination - to keep their community of singers and audience connected, and within a couple of weeks the Choirs has created their first live-stream virtual concert performance: bringing 12 musicians and 40 choristers in isolation around the world together digitally, to present a nine minute extract of Bach's original 1724 work.

Throughout the coming year, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs turned to its digital platforms to share the comfort and joy of music with music lovers around the globe on numerous occasions; and kept its hundreds of choristers in tune and in touch, with daily lessons online.

The realisation of St John Passion Reimagined onstage at The Concourse exactly one year later - complete with the world-premieres of Twist and Shelly's compositions, is a fitting return for Australia's leading choral organisation; demonstrating their commitment to embracing the new normal and bringing audiences together to experience the transformative power of music once again.

Book now for St John Passion Re-imagined, conducted by Elizabeth Scott and featuring performances by guest soloists Richard Butler, Andrew O'Connor, Celeste Lazarenko, Sian Sharp, Nicholas Jones and David Greco, with Sydney Philharmonia's Chamber Singers and the Sydney Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.

Two performances, 1pm & 7pm Easter Saturday, 3rd April at The Concourse, Chatswood. Tickets $77.50 plus booking fee, Bookings, telephone 02 8075 8100 or online.

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