Tafelmusik Will Illuminate Bach's ST JOHN PASSION at Koerner Hall

One of the highlights of Tafelmusik's 2019/20 season is sure to be Bach's St John Passion, a profound work based on text from the gospel according to St John, March 26 to 29, 2020 at Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning. Ivars Taurins directs Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir, along with guest soloists Jana Miller, soprano; Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano; Charles Daniels, tenor; William Sharp, baritone; and Andrew Mahon, bass-baritone. For full program details, visit tafelmusik.org.

As part of its exploration of the context of this work, Tafelmusik has curated a series of related activities in the spirit of the season's theme "old meets new." Images from the illuminated Saint John's Bible, a contemporary work of art that unites ancient Benedictine traditions with the vision of today, will complement these performances. Three weeks prior to the concerts, Tafelmusik hosts Art, Religion, and Culture: Bach and St John Passion, a panel discussion with theological scholars, March 2, 2020, Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul's Centre. Admission for the panel discussion is free with registration.

Through a series of recitatives, arias, choruses, and chorales, Bach's St John Passion tells the story of Christ's crucifixion. The music is by turns intense, contemplative, and intimate, bringing the humanity of the story to life. Bach reworked the score each time St John Passion was presented in Leipzig during his lifetime. Tafelmusik will perform the final version, which Bach prepared for the Good Friday service in 1749, a year before his death. Harrowing, passionate, and tender by turn, this monumental work resonates deeply in today's highly charged and turbulent times.

A pre-concert chat with theologian Gordon Rixon SJ one hour before each concert is free with admission.

"I see the illuminations not only bringing a striking visual element of remarkable artistry to Bach's masterpiece, but sharing in the universality of the spiritual messages that each work offers," said Taurins. "They offer the audience the opportunity, in the words of theologian Henri Nouwen, to truly 'step into and walk around' the spirituality of the illuminations, while experiencing Bach's music."

Panel discussion: Art, Religion, and Culture: Bach and St John Passion
Monday March 2, 7-8:30pm,
Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul's Centre
Free admission, registration required (tafelmusik.org)

Tafelmusik explores the contexts of the St John Passion in a discerning panel discussion featuring Gordon Rixon SJ and Katharine Lochnan, both from Regis College, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir Director Ivars Taurins, and Norman C. Tobias, pedagogue, author, and member of the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus. The discussion will be facilitated by Michelle Voss Roberts, Principal, Emmanuel College, University of Toronto.

INFORMATION

Bach St John Passion

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir directed by Ivars Taurins
Guest soloists Jana Miller, soprano; Krisztina Szabó mezzo-soprano; Charles Daniels, tenor; William Sharp, baritone; and Andrew Mahon, bass-baritone.

Dates & Times: Thu Mar 26, Fri Mar 27, Sat Mar 28 at 8pm |

Sun Mar 29 at 3:30pm

Ticket prices:

Regular: starting from $42 at Jeanne Lamon Hall and $39 at George Weston Recital Hall

Discounts available for seniors (65+), 35 and under, and youth (18 and under).

Venue: Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto

Box Office: Koerner Hall Box Office: (416) 408-0208

Website: tafelmusik.org

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