Bach St John Passion, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens, Greece
J.S. Bach St John Passion, BWV 245
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner - conductor
Nick Pritchard tenor - Evangelist
Peter Harvey bass - Christus
Alex Ashworth bass - Pilatus
Charlotte La Thrope, soprano
Reginald Mobley countertenor
Peter Davoren tenor
“Bach really is the universal composer whose music can touch anybody, regardless of religious background or nationality.”
John Eliot Gardiner
Described by Martin Luther as ‘unique in loveliness’, the Gospel of John inspired Bach to respond with music which is by turns evocative, stirring, exultant and profoundly moving – a piece that holds our attention from beginning to end. Having live streamed the St John Passion from Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre on Good Friday this year, we are now looking forward to performing Bach’s great sacred work in front of a live audience, marking the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists’ return to live performing in 2021.
The cast of soloists includes a new generation of British Bach singers. Nick Pritchard, a memorable tenor soloist in MCO’s last recording of Bach’s Mass in B minor, sings the Evangelist. The two principal actors in the biblical drama are taken by the acclaimed bass Peter Harvey (Christus) and a long-standing collaborator of Gardiner, Alex Ashworth (Pilatus). Former Monteverdi Apprentice Charlotte La Thrope sings the soprano arias, and Peter Davoren, first heard as a soloist with Gardiner in the Monteverdi Vespers in 2010, takes the tenor solos. One of the stars of MCO’s acclaimed 2018 Bach cantata cycle, countertenor Reginald Mobley, performs the alto arias.