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Good Friday on WRTI 90.1: J.S. Bach's Powerful St. Matthew Passion Conducted by Stephen Cleobury

Jenny Marvin/Unsplash

Join us for our annual broadcast of Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion on Good Friday, April 2nd, from noon to 3 PM. Recorded at the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge in April 2019, the concert features Academy of Ancient Music & Choir of King's College conducted by Stephen Cleobury just months before his untimely passing.

One of the supreme monuments in Western music, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion is a two-part masterpiece, composed in 1727, which recounts the last days of Christ.

Watch the opening chorus:

The sacred oratorio fell into obscurity for decades after Bach's death in 1750. Composer Felix Mendelssohn's production of the work in 1829 helped spark the modern Bach revival.

Our Good Friday broadcast:

Academy of Ancient Music & Choir of King's College, Cambridge
Stephen Cleobury, conductor
James Gilchrist, tenor; Matthew Rose, bass; Sophie Bevan, soprano; and David Allsopp, countertenor

Happy Easter from all of us at WRTI.