Revealing the story of Holy Week through music

Exeter's observance of Holy Week and Easter will be greatly enriched this year by a performance of an 18th century musical masterpiece in the city’s Cathedral.

At the start of Holy Week, on Monday 10th April, the Cathedral Choir will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s “St John Passion”, which tells the story of the final period of Jesus’ life leading up to his crucifixion on Good Friday. Christians around the world, including here in Exeter, remember these events each year ahead of the joyous celebration of Easter.

Exeter Cathedral Choir is well-known for leading daily choral services and its popular Christmas concerts, but this will be the first time in some years that they will perform the challenging and often dramatic Passion setting, written for Good Friday in 1724.

The Cathedral’s Choristers will be joined as usual by the adult members of the choir along with visiting musicians, as Director of Music Timothy Noon explains: “Our performance is presented in collaboration with the Oxford-based period instrument ensemble, Charivari Agréable, and a first-class line up of soloists, including rising star, Ruairi Bowen. Whilst the solo singers tell most of the story of Jesus’ last days, it is the choir’s job is to bring the drama of the crowd and other groups to life, as well as reflecting on the action with poetic ‘chorales’ that we would today identify as hymn tunes.”

This important job is made even more challenging for the young Choristers as the music will be sung in German. James Featherstone is the Headmaster at Exeter Cathedral School where the young Choristers are among over 260 pupils. He said

‘What a terrific opportunity for our Choristers to perform with some of the country’s top-flight musicians in this exciting collaboration. All of our pupils (from 3 to 13) study a full and broad curriculum, and it is certainly the case that learning happens well beyond the confines of the classroom. Singing in German is a great example of this, and will further enrich the provision and practice of Modern and Classical languages that they currently have at School.”

Bach’s St John Passion will be sung as part of a devotional performance in Exeter Cathedral on Monday 10th April at 19.00. Doors open at 18.15 and all are welcome. Admission is free with a retiring collection (suggestion donation £10).