Hastings Philharmonic Choir at Christ Church, St Leonards.

Passion for Bach in St Leonards

A fine concert for the Easter season takes place on Saturday 6 April when the Hastings Philharmonic Choir will sing, in English, the magnificent St John Passion, writes HOT’s Chris Cormack, who is also a member of the choir. This sacred oratorio, a dramatic depiction of the events of Holy Week, was written by JS Bach in 1742.

Marcio Da Silva conducts.

The St John Passion consists of dramatic recitatives and choruses softened by reflective chorales, ariosos and arias. The work is described by Michael Steinberg as more extravagant than the St Matthew Passion, with an expressive immediacy, at times more unbridled and less “finished”.

Marcio da Silva, who is enjoying a remarkable first year as the choir’s musical director, will conduct. After wowing the audience at Christmas with his solo of Holy Night, this time he is expected to stay firmly fixed to his baton! He will direct the four-part choir of around 70 voices and a Baroque orchestra of players from the Royal College of Music. Marcio has just returned from directing the Orquestra Sinfônica de Minas Gerais in Brazil, one of the most important orchestras in his home country, where they played Mendelssohn’s 3rd Symphony and a Saint-Saëns cello concerto.

Alice Privett (http://www.aliceroseprivett.com).

The soloists are once again rising-star singers from the London colleges, including soprano Alice Privett, who grew up in St. Leonards. Alice is at present studying opera with Lillian Watson at the Royal Academy of Music as a Sickle Foundation scholar. She may be recognised as the Pamina in Jenny Miller’s Magic Flute at St Mary-in-the-Castle last September, following performances with the Longborough Festival Opera.

The part of the story-teller Evangelist will be sung by Daniel Joy who has recently graduated with distinction from the opera course at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Daniel’s host of first-rate experience in classical and operatic parts belies his youth; he has still not reached 30.

Daniel Joy (www.danieljoy.com).

He gave recitals of songs by Tchaikovsky, accompanied by Liubov Orfenova, and of madrigals by Monteverdi at Glyndebourne Festival, as part of the Jerwood Young Artists Development Scheme, and he has recently given a concert of Mozart arias with the Guernsey Camerata. In 2011 he sang arias from the St Matthew Passion with the Cleveland Philharmonic and the evangelist part is a reprise of his role in a 2008 concert at St Martin-in-the-Fields.
Come and feast on this dramatic, emotional music in the glorious surroundings of Christ Church, St. Leonards.

Tickets cost £15 /£13 (concessions) and £3 (under 17 years), and are on sale at Imagen Gallery, Claremont; Plenty Provisions on Grand Parade, St Leonards; Hastings Information Centre; online; via telephone 01424 552119 or on the door.
The concert starts at 7pm.

Click to hear Hastings Philharmonic Choir.

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