Bach | St Mark Passion

This is the first of a landmark three-year Passion project collaboration with the Australian Boys Choir, that will culminate in a performance of the St Matthew Passion in 2027 with the Hannover Boys Choir.

According to his obituary published after his death, Bach composed five Passion settings, only two of which have survived in full: The much-loved St John and St Matthew Passions. Bach’s St Mark Passion was first performed in Leipzig in 1731, and again in a revised version in 1744. Though Bach’s manuscript is lost, the libretto by his regular collaborator in Leipzig, Picander, is still extant. From this, several reconstructions of the work have been created, including that of Robert Koolstra (2017), the Dutch organist and harpsichordist, who has produced a rich and dramatic retelling of the St Mark gospel reflecting Koolstra’s deep scholarship and sensitivity to Bach’s canon.

Directed by Nicholas Dinopoulos, singers from the Australian Boys Choir and The Vocal Consort will join an outstanding cast of guest soloists in their debut collaboration with Genesis Baroque.