PRINCETON UNIVERSITY GLEE CLUB JOINS
THE ENGLISH CONCERT FOR
J.S. BACH’S ST. JOHN PASSION
Friday, April 19 at 7:30PM in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
It was Arthur Mendel, the same Mendel who chaired the Princeton University Department of Music for 15 years and whose name adorns Princeton University’s music library, who did the most to bring Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion, BWV 245 to a performable state. In 1951, Professor Mendel created an edition of this masterpiece that combined exhaustive scholarship with sound intuition–a work which still serves as a necessary companion to more fashionable modern editions to this day. On Friday, April 19, 2019 at 7:30PM in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall, the Princeton University Glee Club presents their annual Walter L. Nollner memorial concert, joining internationally renowned early music specialists — The English Concert baroque orchestra and renowned tenor James Taylor as the Evangelist — to bring Bach’s beloved oratorio to life. Taylor recently made his New York Philharmonic debut in this role with conductor Kurt Masur, bringing a “sweet, light yet penetrating voice to the role of the Evangelist” (The New York Times). Glee Club Director Gabriel Crouch conducts. Tickets are only $15 general/$5 students, available at music.princeton.edu, 609-258-9220, and at the Princeton University campus box offices.
Speaking about this monumental musical work, Crouch reflects:
“As much as the Passions reveal Bach’s flair for taut drama, it is the reflective commentary and the search for meaning that lingers longest and which sets these works apart. Bach assembles this story by carefully juxtaposing three elements – biblical text (recitative), poetic reflection (the arias), and the soul-searching response of all humanity (the chorales), the sum of which serves to remind us that this is a universal story of sacred love, betrayal, guilt and faith.”
The event is part of The English Concert’s week-long residency at Princeton University, which also includes a free, non-ticketed performance alongside Princeton University students in Early Music Princeton on Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 7:30PM in Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall. Those students will also join The English Concert baroque orchestra in the performance of the St. John Passion, alongside eight recipients of The English Concert American Fellowship.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
The English Concert is an outstanding orchestra: exceptional, in the world-renowned quality, ambition and variety of its live and recorded output; unique, in the zeal of its players for working and performing together; unwavering, in its desire to connect with its audience throughout the world. Under the artistic direction of Harry Bicket and principal guest Kristian Bezuidenhout, The English Concert has earned a reputation for combining urgency, passion and fire with precision, delicacy and beauty. Their artistic partners include Joyce DiDonato, Dame Sarah Connolly, Iestyn Davies, Alison Balsom, Trevor Pinnock, Dominic Dromgoole, Tom Morris and many more. One cornerstone of the orchestra’s annual cycle is its international Handel Opera tour. Blossoming from an ongoing relationship with Carnegie Hall, the itinerary now regularly takes in the Theater an der Wien, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Elbphilharmonie and Barbican Hall.
Tenor James Taylor devotes much of his career to the oratorio and concert literature and is one of the world’s most sought-after Bach Evangelists. His career has taken him throughout the United States, South America, Japan, and Israel, and to virtually all the major concert halls of Europe including the Concertgebouw, Musikverein, and the Royal Albert Hall. He has appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Houston Symphony, and the Colorado Symphony, among others.Taylor can be heard on over 30 recordings on the Hänssler, Harmonia Mundi, Limestone Records, ArkivMusik and Naxos labels. A native of Houston, Mr. Taylor attended Texas Christian University as a student of Arden Hopkin. A Fulbright Scholar, he studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich, where he graduated in 1993 with a Meisterklassendiplom. He is an associate professor of voice and coordinator of the vocal track in early music, oratorio, and chamber ensemble at the Yale School of Music.
The Princeton University Glee Club, consisting of Princeton University’s most talented student singers, has been the largest choral body on campus since its inception in 1874 and has distinguished itself both nationally and overseas. The choir is directed by Gabriel Crouch and associate conductor Stephanie Tubiolo.
|
LISTING INFORMATION |
|
|
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY GLEE CLUB THE ENGLISH CONCERT JAMES TAYLOR, TENOR J.S. BACH’S “ST. JOHN PASSION, BWV 245” WALTER L. NOLLNER MEMORIAL CONCERT |
|
|
WHEN: |
Friday, April 19, 2019 at 7:30PM |
|
WHAT: |
A performance of J.S. Bach’s beloved “St. John Passion,” performed by the Princeton University Glee Club and internationally renowned tenor James Taylor, with The English Concert baroque orchestra |
|
WHERE: |
Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall |
|
TICKETS: |
$15 General/$5 Students. Tickets available at music.princeton.edu, 609-258-9220, or at the Richardson Auditorium Box Office starting two hours before the concert. |
