Bach's St Matthew Passion by Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht
In 1727, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a three-hour oratorio about the suffering and death of Jesus according to the Gospel of Matthew. To emphasize the importance of this biblical story, Bach composed this piece for an unusually large ensemble: two orchestras, two choirs, a children's choir, and various vocal soloists. For many years, it has been a tradition in the Netherlands for this masterpiece to be performed in numerous churches and concert halls in the weeks leading up to Easter. The Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht, under the direction of violinist-conductor Johannes Leertouwer, will perform Bach’s beloved Passion once again this Easter – and on Early Music Television, you can enjoy the spectacle from the front row at home!
Livestream on Saterday 4 April at 13:30 hrs CEST
Concerto Soave / Jean-Marc Aymes - Passion: Giovanni Maria Trabacia
A first: an Early Baroque passion which will be heard again for the first time in the modern age. Giovanni Maria Trabaci was a style pioneer who broke with the Neapolitan unison tradition, and was the first composer to write a complete passion cycle. With Jean-Marc Aymes’s unerring nose for quality, this concert belongs at the top of your list of favourites.
€ 2,99
Mauillon, Rignol, Roussel & Mankar-Bennis - Lambert: Leçons de ténèbres I
What we find so fantastic about Marc Mauillon? His distinctive and versatile voice. His gift for extracting not only poetic finesse but also stunning melodies from the score. And his passion for chamber music, which brings him to Utrecht three times! Our artist in residence chose music from Michel Lambert's Leçons de ténèbres to close this festival day.
€ 2,99
Stile Antico - Monk’s Work: The Divine Hours III (Terce and Mass)
Where did polyphony originally belong? Not in concert series and at festivals, but in monasteries and churches, where the Liturgy of the Hours gave rhythm to daily life. In five concerts, Stile Antico and Collegium Gregorianum will perform five hours, appropriate for different times of day: Advent dawns during Matins, Christmas shines during Lauds, Easter inspires High Mass, the Assumption of Mary colours Vespers, and Compline echoes the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. A four-part Mass by William Byrd and Gregorian melodies form the backbone of this living tribute to 1,500 years of tradition.
€ 2,50
Utopia Ensemble - The Choirbook of Margaret of Austria I
The pages of the richly illuminated Mechelen Choirbook come to life in a programme that runs from Lent to Easter, via Pierre de la Rue's ingenious Missa Paschale. In it, Margaret of Austria's favourite composer achieves the impossible: a polyphonic construction forged around two existing melodies. Utopia Ensemble frames de la Rue's contrapuntal tour de force with a selection of works by contemporaries Gaspar van Weerbecke, Josquin Desprez and Pierre Moulu.
€ 7,99
Ricercar consort / Philippe Pierlot - Couperin's Leçons de ténèbres
The French soprano Hanna Bayodi and the Portuguese Ana Quintans join today the Ricercar Consort. The music is by maestro Couperin ‘le Grand’, who just prior to his death had his printer’s licence renewed in order to be able to publish all his music. However, Couperin’s family neglected to pursue the matter, which resulted in the loss of six sets of leçons de ténèbres, among other things. Fortunately, three sets were preserved.
201821. Ricercar consort / Philippe Pierlot - Couperin’s Leçons de ténèbres