Over 800 years have passed since the founding of the St. Thomas Boys Choir in 1212. The choir was led by Johann Sebastian Bach as cantor for 27 years starting in 1723.
Holy Week in the Christian year is the week leading up to Easter Sunday. It's a time for Christians to reflect on Jesus' journey to the cross, beginning with his entry into Jerusalem and concluding with his crucifixion and his death at Calvary on Holy Saturday.
This year, in celebration of Holy Week, the St. Thomas Boys Choir and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra will engage Korean audiences with Johann Sebastian Bach's "St. Matthew Passion," a masterpiece of classical sacred music. Here for their fourth Korean tour, the boys' choir and orchestra will perform at the Daegu Concert House on March 15 and at the Seoul Arts Center on March 16. There will also be a screening of a performance of the "St. Matthew Passion" at the Goethe Institut Korea on March 17.
The "St. Matthew Passion" is a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, a double choir and an orchestra. It sets to music chapters 26 and 27 of the Bible's Gospel of Matthew. The words tell the story of Jesus' death on the cross. Gotthold Schwarz, the current cantor of the St. Thomas Boys Choir, will be conducting this emotional oratorio in the upcoming performances.
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is the oldest civic symphony orchestra in the world. Founded in 1743, it has seen many celebrated musicians appointed to the office of Kapellmeister, or musical director and conductor, including Johann Adam Hiller and Felix Mendelssohn, among others.
Founded in 1212, the legacy of the St. Thomas Boys Choir reaches back more than 800 years, making it the oldest cultural institution in the city of Leipzig. Johann Sebastian Bach, who was introduced as the choir's cantor in 1723, stayed in the position for 27 years until his death in 1750. Bach premiered a number of his passions, cantatas and oratorios with the boys choir during his term.
The Gewandhaus Orchestra, founded in 1743, is the oldest civic symphony orchestra in the world. Since the early years of its existence, it has maintained close ties with the St. Thomas Boys Choir. The orchestra's history is also linked with Bach. After the "St. Matthew Passion" was performed in 1727, it wasn't heard again until 100 years after Bach's death. It was famously revived in 1829 by Felix Mendelssohn, who was Kapellmeister, the musical director and conductor, of the Gewandhaus Orchestra at the time.
The St. Thomas Boys Choir and the Gewandhaus Orchestra have given a total of 220 concerts together, bringing the two ensembles' artistic collaboration to worldwide audiences.
More information on the concert can be found at the link below:
http://www.vincero.co.kr/project/20160316/
By Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Vincero
hlee10@korea.kr
The St. Thomas Boys Choir and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra play Johann Sebastian Bach's 'St. Matthew Passion' at the Daegu Concert House on March 15 and at the Seoul Arts Center on March 16.