Subscription “Bach. Handel" will be opened by Bach's "St. John Passion"
On October 4, subscription No. 3 “Bach” starts at the Tchaikovsky Hall. Handel”, whose concerts will feature masterpieces of Baroque music: the oratorio “Joyful, Thoughtful and Temperate” by George Frideric Handel and the grandiose passions of Johann Sebastian Bach. On the first evening of the cycle, Ekaterina Antonenko, the vocal ensemble Intrada, the State Academic Chamber Orchestra of Russia and a team of soloists will present Bach's St. John's Passion to the public.
This version of the Passion of Christ is less well known than Bach's St. Matthew Passion, which concludes the current subscription. Nevertheless, “The Passion According to John” is not inferior to its “elder brother”, which appeared four years later, and occupies an important place in the centuries-old history of interpretation of the events of the last days of the life and death of Christ. Schumann considered them more daring, strong and poetic, and many modern performers agree with him.
In the Gospel of John, the account of the last days of Christ's life is less dramatic than in the other gospels, and Bach creates a more personal story - a compact work that is much shorter than the St. Matthew Passion. However, the richness of the instrumental palette, the beauty and depth of this music are amazing. It requires outstanding performers, and on the stage of the Moscow Philharmonic will unite groups that are well known to connoisseurs of Baroque art for their highest level of skill and brilliant knowledge of stylistics, as well as singers who have won recognition in the ancient repertoire.
