Telling the story of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus as related in the Gospel of John, the St John Passion was written by JS Bach in Leipzig, and first performed in April 1724. The text of the gospel is sung by a tenor soloist (Alan Fish), and is interleaved with arias sung by other soloists, and choruses and chorales sung by the choir, all of which comment on the story and reflect the emotional response of an imaginary Christian bystander.
The Passion is a beautiful, intimate and moving piece, generally agreed to be one of Bach’s finest works. This performance, directed by Cath Fish, features the Stornoway Singers and the NYCoS Isle of Lewis choir, visiting soloists, and a small orchestra of local musicians led by Neil Johnstone and Andrew Yearley.