January 31, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
TO PRESENT RARELY HEARD VERSION OF
BACH'S ST. MATTHEW PASSION
From February 24 – 27, American Bach Soloists (ABS), led by music director and conductor Jeffrey Thomas, will present Bach's towering ST. MATTHEW PASSION in four Bay Area locations. After a five-year hiatus, the world's greatest passion setting returns to the ABS repertory in a rarely performed early version handed down to us via Bach's principal assistant (and son-in-law) Johann Christoph Altnickol. Remarkable differences distinguish this late 1720s version from the later version. The division of the performing forces into two completely distinct orchestras was a later idea; this version uses a single section of bass instruments to provide a central core of harmony for the work. Also, the ensembles -- whether depicting disciples, priests, or crowds -- are sung by the soloists, an effect which makes those scenes much more directly compelling: the various groups of characters truly being made up of individuals. Maestro Thomas has engaged the American Bach Choir to sing the beautiful chorales that punctuate moments of dramatic or emotional intensity:
"When Bach took on his new position in Leipzig as the Cantor of St. Thomas Church in 1723, he immediately set out to dazzle the community with his inarguably extraordinary skills as a composer and as a teacher of theology through his apparently divinely inspired music. Universally acknowledged as one of Bach's greatest monuments is the powerfully effective St. Matthew Passion. Over the last nearly two centuries, performers and audiences alike have greatly enjoyed the large-scale, amplified renderings of the St. Matthew Passion that were set in motion through Felix Mendelssohn's important and influential resuscitation of the work in 1829. But the autograph score of Bach's St. Matthew Passion from 1736, which forms the basis of modern-day editions and performances, barely reveals its true original scale when compared to a score of the first or "early" version that has been handed down to us through the centuries via a somewhat complex and circuitous route. Bach alone perfected the multi-faceted and multi-layered genre of Passion settings that were relatively new to his audience. It's the three levels of perspective that make this music so compelling: the Gospel texts are the most distant and venerated; the arias (really, emotional "soliloquies") that are sung by solo voices at various points within the Passion drama became the assertions of each and every member of the 18th-century congregation; and those perspectives, in turn, were confirmed through the great Lutheran mechanism of right of possession which would take place throughout the Passion setting: the singing of chorales." [Jeffrey Thomas]
[Read Full Program Notes]
To perform this emotionally charged masterwork, a distinguished group of soloists and the Pacific Boychoir will join ABS, the American Bach Choir, and Maestro Thomas. Tenor Wesley Rogers returns as the Evangelist, a role he performed to great acclaim with ABS in 2006. Former American Bach Soloists International Young Artist Competition finalist, baritone Joshua Copeland, will sing Christus. They will be joined by sopranos Clara Rottsolk & Anne-Kathryn Olsen, both in their ABS debuts, countertenor Jay Carter, alto Danielle Reutter-Harrah, tenors Derek Chester & Aaron Sheehan, and baritones Mischa Bouvier & Robert Stafford. These performances will also feature the use of one of Bach's favorite keyboard instruments, the Lautenwerk or lute-harpsichord, an extremely rare hybrid that was described by an 18th-century harpsichord builder as sounding "like a lute, but as loud as three."
| NOTE: The Belvedere, Berkeley, and Davis performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. rather than the previously advertised 8:00 p.m. The San Francisco performance on February 26 will begin at 7:00 p.m. |
ABOUT AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS:
The AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS ("ABS") engage and inspire audiences through historically informed performances, recordings, and educational programs that emphasize the music of the Baroque, Classical, and Early Romantic eras. Founded in 1989, the ensemble has achieved its vision of assembling the world's finest vocalists and period-instrument performers to bring this brilliant music to life.
For more than two decades, Jeffrey Thomas has brought thoughtful, meaningful, and informed perspectives to his performances as Artistic and Music Director of the American Bach Soloists. Fanfare Magazine proclaimed that "Thomas' direction seems just right, capturing the humanity of the music…there is no higher praise for Bach performance."
Critical acclaim has been extensive: The Wall Street Journal named ABS "the best American specialists in early music…a flawless ensemble…a level of musical finesse one rarely encounters." San Francisco Classical Voice declared "there is nothing routine or settled about their work. Jeffrey Thomas is still pushing the musical Baroque envelope." And the San Francisco Chronicle recently extolled the ensemble's "divinely inspired singing."
[more...]
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Press images, soloist bios, and other links are available in our online Press Room at americanbach.org/press
Tickets: $18 - $53
For tickets or information, please visit americanbach.org/tickets
or call 415-621-7900
BACH'S ST. MATTHEW PASSION
Wesley Rogers, tenor (Evangelista)
Joshua Copeland, baritone (Christus)
Clara Rottsolk & Anne-Kathryn Olsen, sopranos
Danielle Reutter-Harrah, alto
Jay Carter, countertenor
Derek Chester & Aaron Sheehan, tenors
Mischa Bouvier & Robert Stafford, baritones
Jeffrey Thomas, conductor
American Bach Choir & Pacific Boychoir
Friday, February 24, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
St. Stephen's Church, 3 Bayview Avenue at Golden Gate, BELVEDERE
Saturday, February 25, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way at Dana, BERKELEY
Sunday, February 26, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street at Franklin, SAN FRANCISCO
Monday, February 27, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Davis Community Church, 412 C Street at Fourth, DAVIS
PRESS AND MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACT:
Jeff McMillan, Executive Administrator
(415) 621-7900 ext. 204 | jmcmillan @ americanbach.net
High resolution images and more information, including full artist biographies, available at: americanbach.org/press
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