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St John Passion

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Wednesday 10 March 2027, 19:00

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Music

JS BACH
St John Passion

Sung in German with English surtitles
Guest Artists

Hilary Cronin soprano
Helen Charlston mezzo-soprano
Hugo Hymas tenor
Nick Pritchard Evangelist (tenor)
Raoul Steffani Christ (baritone)
Florian Störtz bass-baritone
Choir of the Age of Enlightenment
John Butt conductor

Duration

2 hours 30 minutes (including interval)

Price

£18 – £66 (Premium £84)*

John Butt conducts Bach's earliest surviving passion. An intense musical drama in which the eternal and mortal collide as the raw, human tragedy of Jesus' death plays out against the backdrop of divine history.

With its powerful crowd scenes and expressive arias, Bach’s St John Passion draws us into the burning heart of the crucifixion story. Bach skillfully manipulates time, making us not simply witnesses to the unfolding events but complicit in them.

At times urgency drives the narrative forward, at others time stretches and distorts. In the final hours of Jesus’ life, time slows almost to stillness, leaving us suspended, as if marooned within eternity itself.

"St John’s Gospel is very attuned to the notion of God’s eternal time, contrasting with our own local time. It gives us the sense that these events have already happened, are happening now, and will happen again.”

John Butt

First performed in 1724 for the Good Friday vespers in Leipzig, the St John Passion would have resonated with the hardships of Leipzig in Bach’s day. As we return to these events, we may recognise the same patterns unfolding in our own world: suffering, injustice, and the uneasy sense that this story is not finished—that it continues to repeat, generation after generation.

Free Pre-Concert Talk
at 6.00pm in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer.

OAE Principal Artist John Butt leads an exceptional cast of soloists, including Rising Stars of the Enlightenment alumni Helen Charlston, Hugo Hymas, Nick Pritchard and Florian Störtz. They are also joined by BBC Music Magazine Rising Star (2022) Hilary Cronin and winner of the Nederlandse Muzikprijs (2023) Raoul Steffani.

“He was aided by the superb Evangelist of Nick Pritchard, who used the closed score in his hands as a mere prop, enabling him to engage fully in the drama, deploying exemplary diction and tonal variety in the process.”

London Evening Standard (review of the OAE's St Matthew Passion in April 2025)

Part of Music Speaks: Southbank Centre Season 2026/27

*Our ticket price includes a £2 restoration levy from the Southbank Centre. This goes towards maintenance and improvements works on the Southbank Centre’s historic buildings, in particular Royal Festival Hall, and is not subject to any discounts.

The OAE’s 40^th anniversary seasons in 2025/26 and 2026/27 are made possible with the support of The Forty Circle.

This concert celebrates 10 years of the OAE’s Rising Stars of the Enlightenment programme.

Violinist Julia Kuhn and bass player Cecelia Bryggemyer playing in the playground at Acland burghley School

Japanese conductor Masaaki Suzuki conducts the OAE with singer Florian Stortz

OAE musicians run a workshop in a school classroom

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St John Passion

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Wednesday 10 March 2027, 19:00

Event detail

John Butt conducts Bach's earliest surviving passion. An intense musical drama in which the eternal and mortal collide as the raw, human tragedy of Jesus' death plays out against the backdrop of divine history.

"St John’s Gospel is very attuned to the notion of God’s eternal time, contrasting with our own local time. It gives us the sense that these events have already happened, are happening now, and will happen again.”

Guest Artists

“He was aided by the superb Evangelist of Nick Pritchard, who used the closed score in his hands as a mere prop, enabling him to engage fully in the drama, deploying exemplary diction and tonal variety in the process.”

Did you know you can support the OAE?

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