Performance: J. S. Bach, St. John Passion

Bach’s St. John Passion stages an immersive dramatic-musical experience that invites listeners to participate directly in the emotional intensity of the story of Jesus’ crucifixion. The work thereby offers a visceral encounter with some of most affectively charged aspects of the human condition, from violence and grief to love and redemption. Our performance in the round was designed to put our audience right in the midst of the bodily enactment of this musical-affective journey. We encouraged a holistic mode of music making that fully encompassed us all as embodied beings.

Cambridge University Chamber Choir
Nicholas Mulroy, Evangelist and Director

Cambridge University Collegium Musicum
Margaret Faultless, Violin and Director

Media

Read a blogpost about the event here.

Read a review of the event here.

Selected feedback

Being given permission to respond and feel it all - sitting with the performers - what what MAGIC! I can’t believe I was so luck to have ‘taken part’ .

I loved the life of the performance and the movement of the singers - I heard parts I had never really heard before. The way that the singers and musicians were so present to us and to each other - not full-blown acting but incredibly expressive portrayal - more please!

A memorable experience and more engaging than anything I have ever seen or heard. The chorus at the end will live on forever.

I certainly felt this urge to shout out and clap during the performance at Girton. The first chorus, when the choir emerged from the audience and sang that crisp ‘Herr’ gave me goosebumps and almost brought me to tears. I noticed the two older gentlemen next to me in tears. The closeness to the performers and the interactions between audience and musicans were fantastic.

Bettina’s research has uncovered the possibility of an enhanced sensory relationship with music that has largely been lost in 19th-century concert-going behaviour. Both performers and audiences were encouraged and enabled by an understanding of historical performance and listening practices to rediscover a more visceral relationship with the music. As performers, we began to experience the music on a more physical, embodied level, finding a physical freedom to move as we played and sang, producing an intensity of the listening experience that resulted in ‘feeling’ the emotional content of the music with the audience. 

Very innovative way of performing, I was spellbound! One of the best concerts I have attended (I am 54!)

Being surrounded by the sound was wonderful. The singers performing from within the audience, the audience participation with the chorales, the communication between all the musicians - please more like this!

I have never seen a performance of a sacred music that was so immersive, and aimed to include the audience in the performance. Having the singers move around the space allowed us to hear each individual line and it’s important role in the harmony, which is such a vast difference from the ‘normal’ way where it is all presented as one unit. I really hope that there will be more concerts like this, as it is such a rewarding and enlightening experience as both a performer and audience member. Oe of my biggest takeaways from this experience as a performer is, if the music makes you want to move, then move!

Being part of the performance is so involving and fantastic. The players and singers being ‘at one’ with each other - and with the audience too. Please do this again - and again! We want to bring all our friends: they would love it.

A triumph! Transformative, fantastic!