The JUNO award-winning Ottawa Bach Choir will present Bach’s St. John Passion in an authentic Baroque performance this month. The performance takes place on March 14 at Ottawa’s Christ Church Cathedral.
The OBC has not performed the work for about two decades. The choir will be joined on stage by the Theatre of Early Music Baroque orchestra, including Canadians soprano Hélène Brunet, countertenors Daniel Taylor and Nicholas Burns, and British tenor Charles Daniels and bass-baritone Edward Grint.
Bach’s St. John Passion
“Composed in 1724, the performance of the Passion was the outstanding musical event of the year in Leipzig and this setting of John’s Gospel is Bach’s most theatrical,” says OBC Founder and Artistic Director Dr. Lisette Canton in a statement.
St John Passion BWV 245, or Johannes-Passion, is the earliest of Bach’s surviving Passions. He wrote it during his first year as the Director of Church Music in Leipzig.
The Passion premiered on Good Friday in 1724, and the composed later revised it in 1725, 1730, and 1749, which resulted in the addition of several pieces to the work.
It was composed essentially as two halves which were intended to come before and after a sermon. The libretto is uncredited, but known to be inspired by various sources of the time, including work by German poet Barthold Heinrich Brockes. He was guided by the Luther Bible, and the role of the Evangelist uses the words of that version directly. Bach also added a few lines from the Gospel of St. Matthew to the story.
It narrates the Passion of Christ as told in the Gospel of John, chapters 18 and 19. The story covers the end of Jesus’ life, including his arrest, trial — when the Judean crowd turns against him — and death.
The work is characterized by its drama and depth of expression. It is written for a four-part choir with soloists, and an instrumental ensemble of strings, bass, flutes, and oboes. Bach added the lute and viola da gamba, which were already considered somewhat old fashioned at the time.
The Performance
The Ottawa Bach Choir was founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton. The Choir began with the choral work of Bach, and while it remains a focal point of their repertoire, they have expanded to include performance of works from all historical periods.
Along with a regular performance series in Ottawa, the choir’s tours have taken them to Bachfest Leipzig, Meet in Beijing, Festival Música Santa Fe, Ottawa Chamberfest, Carnegie Hall, and other prominent festivals and venues. The OBC has been invited to return to Bachfest Leipzig to perform in June 2027.
Along with live performance, OBC has accumulated an impressive catalogue of award-winning recordings, including the 2020 JUNO-winning album Handel: Dixit Dominus; Bach & Schütz: Motets on the ATMA Classique label.
- Find show details and tickets for the performance on March 14 at Christ Church Cathedral [HERE].
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