27 March - 29 March 2026
Information:
This year, not the monumental St Matthew Passion, but its slightly smaller and older brother, the St John Passion.
Bach's theatrical passion
The Phion orchestra has a very long tradition of performing Johann Sebastian Bach's Passion music. This year, not the monumental St Matthew Passion, but its slightly smaller and older brother, the St John Passion. Not a contemplative reflection on the suffering and death of Christ, but a fierce theatrical approach to the drama, in which the evangelist tells the story with fire and the other singers show all the emotions surrounding the tragedy of the Passion story, from grief, sorrow and despair to anger, resistance and even triumph. Today, this music is just as moving as it was three hundred years ago when it was first performed.
Bach specialist Shunske Sato
Consensus Vocalis, the only truly professional choir in the eastern Netherlands and long-standing vocal partner of the Phion Orchestra, takes on the difficult but exciting choral part of the St John Passion. Overall direction is in the hands of violinist and conductor Shunske Sato. He is not just any musician. For ten years he was concertmaster and artistic director of the Netherlands Bach Society, making him one of the greatest Bach interpreters in our country. Together with the outstanding soloists, the choir, orchestra and conductor form an excellent ensemble that guarantees a breathtaking performance of Bach's St John Passion.
More information at: Phion