St Matthew Passion - An Epic Musical Creation
Sunday 31 March 2:00 pm
Dunedin Town Hall
DAVID BURCHELL, conductorSOLOISTS: Iain Tetley (Evangelist), Scott Bezett (Jesus), Lois Johnston (Soprano), Claire Barton (Alto), Andrew Grennon (Tenor), Malcolm Leitch (Bass)
CITY CHOIR DUNEDIN
CHRISTCHURCH CITY CHOIR
DUNEDIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) composed his St Matthew Passion for the 1727 Good Friday service at St Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany. The work is the largest single composition Bach ever wrote, both in terms of length and in terms of forces called for in the score.
The story of the Passion begins in the turmoil of Jesus’s last days in Jerusalem and ends with his crucifixion and burial. The St Matthew Passion is one the greatest creations, revealing layers of meaning in the text. The great variety of music in this work is dramatic, passionate and emotional, and surprises abound.
St Matthew Passion is performed around the world near Easter in keeping with its history and story and City Choir Dunedin is proud to present this work just prior to Easter. This event will be a highlight in Dunedin’s musical calendar. With more than 250 musicians on stage, it will be an epic performance and one not to be missed.
Handel's Messiah - The World's Most Loved Choral Work
Tuesday 10 December 7:30 pm
Dunedin Town Hall
DAVID BURCHELL, conductorSOLOISTS
CITY CHOIR DUNEDIN
DUNEDIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Handel’s Messiah is heard around the world during the Christmas season, being greatly appreciated, admired and enjoyed. City Choir Dunedin with soloists and the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Burchell, is pleased to again perform this oratorio to provide a fantastic opportunity for you to experience a world-class delivery of this dramatic and passionate work.
Handel began composing Messiah on 22 August 1741 and completed it twenty-four days later. But, however hasty the composition, the power of the musical imagination, the wealth of ideas, the depth of inspiration, and the sheer variety of invention continue to astonish.
Messiah is unique among Handel's oratorios in its New Testament subject and reflective treatment. It has been described as a 'collection' taken from the Bible and the Prayer Book Psalter, and is a mixture of narrative and commentary. This freed Handel from some of the more restrictive opera conventions and permitted greater use of the chorus than is generally the case in his other oratorios. Messiah is probably Handel's most famous work and its ubiquity has outreached anything Handel could ever have envisaged.
Christmas Carols @ Otago Museum
Saturday 21 December 1:00 pm
Otago Museum
DAVID BURCHELL, conductorMARK ANDERSON, assistant conductor
CITY CHOIR DUNEDIN
City Choir Dunedin will delight you with an hour-long programme of Christmas music at the Otago Museum.
Accompanists: Roland Storm and David Burchell
