St John Passion
300th Anniversary
Performance
William Coleman, musical director of Severn Voices introduces the project:
"Get ready for April 7th 2024; it's going to be a big day.
Severn Voices will be joined by soloists and orchestra in a very special performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's
vivid choral and vocal recreation of the last weeks of the life of Jesus Christ. This is according to the eye-witness account of one of his followers, John the Apostle.
Bach's St John Passion is an oratorio in the sense that it is highly dramatic. So you could think of it as an opera without any set or props.
This is the sort of intensity we want to create in our performance.
The start of the piece finds us right in the hubbub of a crowd scene, where we are right up close to the disciples and mass of follows who are all desperate for Jesus' special charisma. It's totally journalistic."
Sunday April 7th 2024 at 6.30pm
Tickets £20 / £15 available from EventBrite
Soloists
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Jesus Martin Robson
Evangelist Peter Wilman
Soprano Es Hoyle
Counter-tenor Sebastian Field
Tenor Paul Badley
Baritone Oscar Buswell
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with the Sabrina Players
Leader Caroline Powell-Brett
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New to singing?
What do we mean by 'Bach chorales'? These are basically hymns, and you may very well know many of the melodies as they have become popular all over Europe. Bach's famous harmonisations of these hymns are justly celebrated. Singing in four parts is a very special feeling.
Soprano
The soprano line is the top line and is generally the melody. The soprano singers are the higher women's voices in a mixed choir with a written range from about middle C on the piano to 'top' G; that is an octave and a 5th above. The soprano voice has a bell like ring in the top register and a zing in it's step.
Alto
The alto part is the lower women's voice and has a very special quality in four part singing, filling out the harmony and adding stability to the structure of the music. There's nothing like the lower register of the alto voice for giving you that sense that mother is talking to you and it awakens the heart. The alto range is roughly G below middle C to the 13th above - D or E.
Tenor
In four part singing the tenor part is very important. This is the high male voice and rings out of the texture with a counter melody to the sopranos, very frequently. The tenors create emotional depth being a 'vocal couple' with the sopranos. Hearing the tenor parts come out of the texture is very thrilling. The tenor range is roughly D below middle C up to A above middle C.
Bass
The Bass line is the foundation of the harmony, but is also important melodically. You'll often get a great tune as a bass. The basses are a 'vocal couple' with the altos and together they can really bring out some very special emotions in the harmony. Basses have a range from 'bottom G' (ie. an 11th below middle C up to middle E)