Chatham Baroque to Present World Premiere Staging of Bach’s MARKUS PASSION

Chatham Baroque will present and perform in the world premiere of this staged production of J.S. Bach’s long-lost Markus Passion, set to take place on Friday, April 11, 2025, at the Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. This groundbreaking semi-staged performance will be directed by visionary Artistic Director Bill Barclay of Concert Theatre Works and brought to life using celebrated Bach scholar Malcolm Bruno’s recent reconstruction of the lost masterpiece.

Audiences will experience a dynamic resurrection of this historic work, consisting of an ensemble of 19 performers featuring Chatham Baroque, the NYC-based The Sebastians, four distinguished vocal soloists including Pascale Beaudin (soprano), Cody Bower (countertenor), James Reese (tenor), and Jonathan Woody (bass-baritone), and acclaimed British actor Joseph Marcell as the Evangelist. The semi-staged performance will seamlessly blend the dramatic power of concert theatre with the transcendent music of Bach.

Bach’s Markus Passion, first performed in 1731, was lost after his death in 1750. Though fragments of an incomplete manuscript existed, they were destroyed in a fire during World War II. However, the libretto survived, allowing scholars to reconstruct the score based on Bach’s known practice of reworking his earlier compositions. Malcolm Bruno’s reconstruction, now published by Bach’s original publisher, Breitkopf & Härtel, brings the Passion back to life in a way that captures Bach’s intended brilliance and emotional depth.

“This is a rare opportunity to present a world-premiere performance of a lost work by one of the greatest composers in history," said Chatham Baroque’s co-artistic director Scott Pauley. "Under Bill Barclay's visionary direction, with a cast of exceptional singers and instrumentalists from Pittsburgh, New York, and beyond, and with actor Joseph Marcell’s captivating narration, this promises to be an unforgettable experience for audiences."

"At long last, this Markus provides what never should have been lost: a 'pocket passion' equal in brilliance to Bach's Matthew and John, but accessible for smaller ensembles,” said Concert Theatre Works’ Bill Barclay. “The addition of a central actor, and distillation of forces down to four singers and single strings, renders the famous trials of Jesus in starkly intimate emotional colors. Malcolm's bold reconstruction offers an appealing symmetry: movements are recycled from prior works that together, give us a miracle: new Bach. We are ecstatic to be building this production for the first time in Pittsburgh before taking it on tour."

J. S. Bach wrote Passion settings for the gospels of Mark, as well as for Matthew and John – two of the greatest artistic works of all time. Shortly after Bach’s death in 1750, his Markus Passion was hand-delivered by his son C.P.E. to his Leipzig publisher, Johann Breitkopf. Not until after 1850, when the centennial complete works of Bach’s music began, was its loss noted. Seeing the Markus Passion listed in an inventory of the composer’s music but not finding the score, Wilhelm Rust, – one of Bach’s successors at the Thomas Kirche in Leipzig and an editor of the new complete works – began to search. This important work has been reconstructed by Malcolm Bruno and published by Breitkopf & Härtel. Read about this historic reconstruction in Choir and Organ magazine.

Markus Passion was commissioned by The Oregon Bach Festival and produced by Concert Theatre Works. Chatham Baroque is thrilled to partner with these esteemed collaborators to bring this important work to Pittsburgh audiences for the first time.

The production will also appear on April 13, 2025, at Corpus Christi Church in New York City, presented by Music Before 1800, featuring the entire ensemble that performed in Pittsburgh: The Sebastians, Chatham Baroque, Pascale Beaudin (soprano), Cody Bower (countertenor), James Reese (tenor), Jonathan Woody (bass-baritone), and Joseph Marcell.