FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
You are cordially invited to attend the BACH COLLEGIUM’S presentation of J. S. Bach’s monumental St. Matthew Passion on Saturday, 7 May 7 p.m. at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church - 2313 South Hanna - Ft. Wayne, IN. This Fort Wayne community choir of 34 singers, directed by Dr. Daniel G. Reuning, will be joined by the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir, other local professional musicians, and nationally acclaimed soloists and instrumentalists. In the Baroque articulate style and with early instruments Bach will be heard very much as Bach himself performed it. Every listener will be moved by this awe-inspiring, uplifting work. The text of this Passion is the story of the sufferings and death of Jesus as recorded in the Bible in the final two chapters of the Gospel of St. Matthew. Bach uses a tenor soloist (Evangelist) to narrate the account, a bass to sing the role of Christ, other soloists to sing other character roles, and the choir, to sing the group responses (such as those of the disciples and the crowds). In addition to the biblical text, Bach inserts 14 of the great Passion hymns and solo arias, which provide moments for meditation and personal application. As with Mel Gibson’s Passion, the listener will be drawn into the dramatic final events of Jesus’ life, although Bach does not dwell on the gruesome details. Instead, Bach concentrates on the salvific results: salvation and healing for the whole world. In contrast also, the chorale texts in Bach’s St. Matthew…make it unmistakably clear that the Passion is not anti-Semitic. Of special musical interest is Bach’s scoring for double choir, double orchestra, and children’s choir, which he employs for purposes of dialogue, contrast, and impact.