Trinity Wall Street presents “St. Matthew Passion”

Dubbed “outstanding” by Time Out New York, the Trinity Choir and Trinity Baroque Orchestra set the tone for Holy Week and the Easter season with Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, widely regarded as a masterpiece of Western sacred music.  Under the direction of Julian Wachner, the performance will take place on April 14 at 7:30pm in New York’s Trinity Church (Broadway at Wall Street), featuring baritone Sanford Sylvan singing the part of Jesus and tenor William Hite as the Evangelist.
 
A respected exponent of Baroque music, Wachner is justly celebrated for his Bach interpretations.  The Boston Globe praised his account of the St. Matthew Passion at Harvard University:
 
“There has been no shortage of fine performances of the Passion in this city.  But none compared in setting forth the terror, the anguish, and the inherent hope of this narrative so central to the Christian faith.  It was clear from the opening section, with its complex antiphonal dialogue among choruses, double orchestra, and children’s choir, that this would be an extraordinary performance.  … Throughout, Wachner emphasized the almost dance-like quality of the rhythms and the transparency of the textures.  He also made the most of the work’s extraordinary theatricality and vivid text-painting.”
 
At 1pm on the day of the performance, Wachner will give a “Preview at One” lecture-demonstration on Bach and liturgical music.  The full performance of the St. Matthew Passion will be webcast live and on-demand at www.trinitywallstreet.org.
 
Trinity Wall Street
 
One of the oldest, largest, and most vibrant of all Episcopal parishes, Trinity Wall Street is located in the heart of New York’s financial district, where it has created a dynamic home for great music.  Trinity Wall Street opened its 2010-11 season with an exciting new appointment, as noted conductor, composer, and keyboardist Julian Wachner took over as director of Trinity’s Music and the Arts program.  Serving as principal conductor of the Trinity Choir and Trinity Baroque Orchestra, he also oversees all liturgical, professional, and community Music and Arts programming at Trinity Church and St. Paul’s Chapel.  For Wachner’s season-opening debut, he led an account of Handel’s oratorio Israel in Egypt that the New York Times praised as “superbly performed.”  In December, Wachner continued Trinity Wall Street’s 240-year tradition of presenting Handel’s Messiah.
 
The Trinity Choir and Trinity Baroque Orchestra offer a full season of concerts ranging from large-scale oratorios to intimate evenings of a cappella singing and chamber music.  Further concerts this season include the Trinity Choir in works by contemporary American composer Elena Ruehr (May 19).  Trinity Wall Street, located at Broadway and Wall Street, also presents the popular “Concerts at One” recital series; held on Thursdays at 1pm, this features an array of soloists and ensembles, and is free and open to the public.
 
All concerts at Trinity Wall Street are professionally filmed and broadcast live at www.trinitywallstreet.org.
 
 
Trinity Choir and Trinity Baroque Orchestra: 2011 concerts
 
April 14
Trinity Choir & Trinity Baroque Orchestra / Julian Wachner
J.S. Bach: St. Matthew Passion
 
May 19
Trinity Choir / Julian Wachner
Music of Elena Ruehr
 
Concerts begin at 7:30pm, with previews at 1pm on show days.  Tickets may be purchased at www.trinitywallstreet.org/tickets or at the Trinity Church gift shop, located on Broadway at Wall Street.
 
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