J.S. Bach – St John Passion

Sunday 17 March 2024 at 7pm
St George’s Bristol

Exultate Singers
Bristol Ensemble Baroque
Peter Davoren Evangelist / tenor
Frederick Long Christus / bass
Keri Fuge soprano
Martha McLorinan alto

Conducted by David Ogden

Book now

First performed on Good Friday 1724, Bach’s St John Passion is a dramatic account of Christ’s final days, from the betrayal of Judas to the preparation for laying the body in the tomb. 

Exultate Singers is joined by an outstanding line up of soloists, together with a specialist baroque orchestra from the Bristol Ensemble for this performance. The concert will be sung in German and takes place within a few days of the work’s 300th anniversary, connecting us across the centuries to all the listeners who have experienced the power and immediacy of this remarkable music in a live performance.

Bach’s first great sacred masterpiece brings to life the humanity of the drama. The choir takes on the role of the people, reflecting on the progression of the Easter story. The narrative is sung by the tenor Evangelist, exquistely beautiful arias provide moments of contemplation, and the entire work is bound together by chorales, German hymns enhanced by Bach’s harmonic invention. The work culminates in the intense and loving chorus Ruht wohl. This is ultimately an optimistic piece, the most personal and meditative of Bach’s Passion settings.

Tickets are £16 to £28, half price for students in full time education and under 18s.

Box office

Book online at www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/st-john-passion, by phone on 0117 929 4929 or over the counter at St George’s Bristol (St George’s booking fee applies)

Peter Davoren – Evangelist and tenor arias

Peter is a member of the BBC Singers and is in very high demand as a consort singer, working with many illustrious groups such as the Monteverdi Choir, Tenebrae, the Sixteen, Solomon’s Knot, Musica Poetica and La nuova musica. He also is a regular member of the St. Bride’s Choir, as well as singing at Westminster Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, St. George’s Chapel Windsor and Westminster Abbey. He also is regularly invited to sing with London Voices on the soundtrack to the latest movies and video games.

Frederick Long – Christus and bass arias

Frederick Long has forged a richly diverse career, garnering acclaim in repertoire from Bach to Bernstein. Noted for the musicality of his performances, alongside vivid stagecraft, he is establishing himself as one of Britain’s most exciting and versatile young singers.

Keri Fuge – soprano

Fast becoming acknowledged as being among the “future generation of superb sopranos,” Keri Fuge’s voice has been described as having “splendid clarity” and “silvery fire” that “sparkles in glittering numbers.” Her strong stage presence and ability to create “spellbinding pathos” has won her acclaim in the Baroque and mainstream concert and opera repertoire both internationally and in the UK.

Martha McLorinan – alto

Martha McLorinan trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where she held a scholarship with the BBC, won the Margaret Tann Williams Prize, and graduated with first class honours. She enjoys a varied career of oratorio, opera, consort work, session work and recitals and sings as a soloist and consort singer with leading ensembles including Ex Cathedra, The Sixteen, The Tavener Consort and the Feinstein Ensemble. She appeared as the alto soloist in Exultate Singers’ 2022 performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor and we are delighted that she is returning for this concert.