Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir
Directed by Ivars Taurins
Jana Miller soprano
Krisztina Szabó mezzo-soprano
Charles Daniels Evangelist & tenor soloist
William Sharp Jesus & baritone soloist
Andrew Mahon Petrus, Pilatus & bass-baritone soloist
Contemporary illuminations from The Saint John’s Bible to complement performances
March 2 panel discussion: Art, Religion, and Culture: Bach and St John Passion
Toronto, February 12, 2020 … One of the highlights of Tafelmusik’s 2019/20 season is sure to be Bach’sSt John Passion, a profound work based on text from the gospel according to St John, March 26 to 29, 2020 at Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning. Ivars Taurins directs Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir, along with guest soloists Jana Miller, soprano; Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano; Charles Daniels, tenor; William Sharp, baritone; and Andrew Mahon, bass-baritone.
As part of its exploration of the context of this work, Tafelmusik has curated a series of related activities in the spirit of the season’s theme “old meets new.” Images from the illuminated Saint John’s Bible, a contemporary work of art that unites ancient Benedictine traditions with the vision of today, will complement these performances. Three weeks prior to the concerts, Tafelmusik hosts Art, Religion, and Culture: Bach and St John Passion, a panel discussion with theological scholars, March 2, 2020, Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre. Admission for the panel discussion is free with registration at tafelmusik.org.
Through a series of recitatives, arias, choruses, and chorales, Bach’s St John Passiontells the story of Christ’s crucifixion. The music is by turns intense, contemplative, and intimate, bringing the humanity of the story to life. Bach reworked the score each time St John Passion was presented in Leipzig during his lifetime. Tafelmusik will perform the final version, which Bach prepared for the Good Friday service in 1749, a year before his death. Harrowing, passionate, and tender by turn, this monumental work resonates deeply in today’s highly charged and turbulent times.
A pre-concert chat with theologian Gordon Rixon S.J. one hour before each concert is free with admission.
Illuminated Saint John’s Bible collaboration with Regis College, University of Toronto
Saint John’s University (Minnesota) has graciously given permission for Tafelmusik to complement its St John Passion performances with projected images from the illuminated Saint John’s Bible, hand-lettered and illustrated by a team of contemporary artists led by Donald Jackson, Welsh calligrapher and scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Using gold leaf and powdered pigments mixed with egg yolk, the artists have created 160 large-scale illuminations on vellum that incorporate many of the world’s religious and spiritual traditions. Thanks to a collaboration with Regis College at the University of Toronto, a limited facsimile edition of The Saint John’s Bible will also be on display in the main lobby of Koerner Hall during the concerts. The audience is invited to explore this work of art created for a new millennium, one that offers “a reaching out and openness to those who are on the margins. There’s a desire that this Bible will be experienced as open to all” (CBC Tapestry).
“I see the illuminations not only bringing a striking visual element of remarkable artistry to Bach’s masterpiece, but sharing in the universality of the spiritual messages that each work offers,” said Taurins. “They offer the audience the opportunity, in the words of theologian Henri Nouwen, to truly ‘step into and walk around’ the spirituality of the illuminations, while experiencing Bach’s music.”
Panel discussion: Art, Religion, and Culture: Bach and St John Passion
Monday March 2, 7–8:30pm,
Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
Free admission, registration required (tafelmusik.org)
Tafelmusik explores the contexts of the St John Passion in a discerning panel discussion featuring Gordon Rixon SJ and Katharine Lochnan, both from Regis College, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir Director Ivars Taurins, and Norman C. Tobias, jurist, historian, and a lay member of the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus. The discussion will be facilitated by Michelle Voss Roberts, Principal, Emmanuel College, University of Toronto.
LISTING INFORMATION
Bach St John Passion
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir directed by Ivars Taurins
Guest soloists Jana Miller, soprano; Krisztina Szabó mezzo-soprano; Charles Daniels, tenor; William Sharp, baritone; and Andrew Mahon, bass-baritone.
Dates & Times: Thu Mar 26, Fri Mar 27, Sat Mar 28 at 8pm, Sun Mar 29 at 3:30pm
Ticket prices: Regular: starting from $39. Discounts available for seniors (65+), 35 and under, and youth (18 and under).
Venue: Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Box Office: Koerner Hall Box Office: (416) 408-0208
ABOUT TAFELMUSIK
Led by Music Director Elisa Citterio, Tafelmusik is one of the world’s leading period-instrument ensembles, performing on instruments and in styles appropriate for the era of the music. Renowned for dynamic, engaging, and soulful performances, Tafelmusik performs some 80 concerts each year for audiences across Toronto, and is Canada’s most toured orchestra, having performed in more than 350 cities in 32 countries. The orchestra is often joined by the critically acclaimed Tafelmusik Chamber Choir and its director, Ivars Taurins.
Tafelmusik also seeks to transport audiences to the baroque and classical periods through insightful multimedia programs and adventurous cross-cultural collaborations. Our musicians share their knowledge and experience through comprehensive education and artist-training initiatives such as the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer and Winter Institutes. Tafelmusik’s recordings on the Sony, CBC Records, Analekta, and Tafelmusik Media labels have garnered ten JUNOs and numerous international recording prizes.
2019/20 SEASON PARTNERS
Tafelmusik wishes to thank the following for their generous support: BMO Financial Group, RBC Foundation, KPMG, Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Whitmer Trudel Charitable Foundation, The Pluralism Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Classical 96.3 FM, and NOW Magazine. Tafelmusik is a proud partner of the Bloor St. Culture Corridor.
Media contact: Luisa Trisi, Big Picture Communications, (416) 456-0499
luisa@luisatrisi.com | 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1X7