Program Booklet

St Matthew Passion

Wednesday April 16
19:00 hour until approximately 10:15 p.m.

Bach's St. Matthew Passion is a musical wonder of song, music and symbolism. A complex and moving tribute to the Passion, led by our regular guest conductor Richard Egarr.

A free textbook of the Matthäus Passion is available at the Concert Hall entrance with the German texts. The Dutch translation by Ria van Hengel can be downloaded here.
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PROGRAM

Richard Egarr conductor
Joshua Ellicot evangelist
Lisandro Abadie Christus
Ilse Eerens soprano
Barbara Kozelj mezzo-soprano
Linard Vrielink tenor
Stephan Loges bass
Netherlands Chamber Choir (rehearsal Rienk Bakker)
Haags Matrozenkoor (rehearsal Peter van der Leeuw)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Matthäus Passion, BWV 244 (1727) 

Download the full version of the program booklet, including the German song lyrics, here.
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Biographies

Residentie Orkest The Hague
The Residentie Orkest has been setting the tone as a symphony orchestra for 120 years. We are proud of that. We have a broad, surprising and challenging repertoire and perform the finest compositions.
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Richard Egarr
Conductor
Permanent guest conductor Residentie Orkest The Hague, artistic partner of St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota and music director of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale.
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Joshua Ellicott
Evangelist
The British tenor, who won several prizes at the prestigious 2006 International Vocal Competition in 's-Hertogenbosch, is a sought-after soloist in the Baroque to contemporary concert and oratorio repertoire and operas.
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Lisandro Abadie
Christ
Buenos Aires-born bass-baritone Lisandro Abadie has performed with orchestras such as Les Arts Florissants, Collegium 1704 and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under such renowned conductors as William Christie and Jordi Savall and Philippe Herreweghe.
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Ilse Eerens
Soprano
Praised for her clear voice, musical sensitivity and versatility, Belgian soprano Ilse Eerens enjoys an international opera and concert career in repertoire ranging from Bach to works of the 21st century.
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Barbara Kozelj
Mezzo-soprano
Slovenian mezzo-soprano Barbara Kozelj has developed into a charismatic and versatile soloist. Her performances brought her to the most important international stages.
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Linard Vrielink
Tenor
The Dutch tenor was a member of the opera studio of Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, where he worked with such conductors as Simon Rattle, Daniel Barenboim and Zubin Mehta. Sang with the Residentie Orkest, Berliner Philharmoniker and London Symphony Orchestra, among others.
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Stephan Loges
Bas
The German-British bass-baritone performed with orchestras such as the MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra. Sang various opera roles at Staatsoper Berlin, Theater an der Wien and Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, among others.
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Netherlands Chamber Choir
The Netherlands Chamber Choir has been among the absolute best for nearly ninety years. Singing choral repertoire from the early Middle Ages to the music of today, the choir regularly collaborates with dancers, poets, actors, filmmakers and scientists.
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Haags Matrozenkoor
The Hague Matrozen Choir was founded in 1928 by conductor Theo van Elferen and first sang with the Residentie Orkest in Bach's Matthäus Passion in 1935.
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Download the full playlist of choir and orchestra here
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Fun Fact

Johann Sebastian Bach

(Eisenach March 21, 1685 - July 28, 1750, Leipzig)

As far as is known, Bach himself conducted four performances of his St. Matthew Passion. After that, this passion, like much of his other music, fell into oblivion. It was the 20-year-old Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy who managed to get the "Grosse Passion" back on the lecterns. On March 11, 1829, some one hundred years after its premiere in Leipzig, he led the first performance at the Berlin Singakademie from behind the grand piano (!). However, with a huge choir - 158 singers - and numerous cuts, especially chorales and arias had to go. The Residentie Orkest first performed the St. Matthew Passion in 1907.

Today in the orchestra

Francisca Portugal

Violin
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Timur Yakubov

Viola
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Janneke Groesz

Flute
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