Troubling Voices in Bach's Sublime St. John Passion
The Bach Cantata Choir is delighted to welcome to Portland one of the world’s most acclaimed Bach scholars – Dr. Michael Marissen, Professor Emeritus at Swarthmore College. Dr. Marissen will give a pre-concert lecture concerning the often-perceived antisemitic themes that are found in the St. John Passion.
The St. John Passion was originally written by J. S. Bach for Good Friday services at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig in 1724. It tells the story of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Christ as related in the Gospel of St. John. Bach revised the work and performed it a number of times between 1724 and 1750. It remains one of the greatest and most powerful masterpieces in all choral music.
The 2-hour concert will include a brief intermission.
The St. John Passion was originally written by J. S. Bach for Good Friday services at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig in 1724. It tells the story of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Christ as related in the Gospel of St. John. Bach revised the work and performed it a number of times between 1724 and 1750. It remains one of the greatest and most powerful masterpieces in all choral music.
The 2-hour concert will include a brief intermission.
Our Guest Speaker
Michael Marissen is Daniel Underhill Professor Emeritus of Music at Swarthmore College, where he taught from 1989 to 2014. He has also been a visiting professor on the graduate faculties at Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania. His publications include
The Social and Religious Designs of J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos (Princeton, 1995), Lutheranism, anti-Judaism, and Bach’s St. John Passion (Oxford, 1998), An
Introduction to Bach Studies (co-author Daniel R. Melamed; Oxford, 1998), Bach’s Oratorios (Oxford, 2008), Tainted Glory in Handel’s Messiah (Yale, 2014), Bach & God
(Oxford, 2016), Bach against Modernity (Oxford, 2023), and essays in Harvard Theological Review, The Huffington Post, Lutheran Quarterly, and The New York Times. Current projects include producing, with Daniel R. Melamed, annotated translations of all the librettos from Bach’s vocal works, which are available for free at https://BachCantataTexts.org.
The Social and Religious Designs of J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos (Princeton, 1995), Lutheranism, anti-Judaism, and Bach’s St. John Passion (Oxford, 1998), An
Introduction to Bach Studies (co-author Daniel R. Melamed; Oxford, 1998), Bach’s Oratorios (Oxford, 2008), Tainted Glory in Handel’s Messiah (Yale, 2014), Bach & God
(Oxford, 2016), Bach against Modernity (Oxford, 2023), and essays in Harvard Theological Review, The Huffington Post, Lutheran Quarterly, and The New York Times. Current projects include producing, with Daniel R. Melamed, annotated translations of all the librettos from Bach’s vocal works, which are available for free at https://BachCantataTexts.org.
About the Bach Cantata Choir
The Bach Cantata Choir's mission is to sing the entire set of cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach over a period of 30 years (view cantatas performed to date). We are a choir of about 50 members plus an orchestra of between 8 to 15 members depending upon the concert.
We perform approximately five concerts each year – two or three cantatas per concert. Most concerts are on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. and all concerts are held at the Rose City Park Presbyterian Church at 1907 NE 45th Avenue in Portland, Oregon (map). Concerts are free (free-will offering accepted) unless advertised otherwise.
The Bach Cantata Choir is a legally organized non-profit corporation under Oregon law, and is a registered 501(c)(3) corporation with the IRS. Donations to the choir are fully deductible for income-tax purposes.
We perform approximately five concerts each year – two or three cantatas per concert. Most concerts are on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. and all concerts are held at the Rose City Park Presbyterian Church at 1907 NE 45th Avenue in Portland, Oregon (map). Concerts are free (free-will offering accepted) unless advertised otherwise.
The Bach Cantata Choir is a legally organized non-profit corporation under Oregon law, and is a registered 501(c)(3) corporation with the IRS. Donations to the choir are fully deductible for income-tax purposes.
Ralph Nelson, Artistic Director
Composer/conductor Ralph Nelson is in demand as an Artist-in-Residence throughout the Portland area. A graduate of Amherst College and subsequently a composition and conducting student of Nadia Boulanger in France, Nelson has served in many capacities since moving to Portland, Oregon over 25 years ago. For 22 years, he was a member of the administrative staff of the Oregon Symphony, and then became Executive Director of the Portland Symphonic Choir. During the summer of 2008, Ralph studied conducting with Helmuth Rilling, Tom Davies and Tim Sawyer at the Oregon Bach Festival in Eugene.
In addition to composing and teaching, Ralph is Choir Director at First Immanuel Lutheran Church in Portland, Director of the Holladay Park Plaza Singers, and a member of the Portland Symphonic Choir. In the summer, Ralph sings with Mastersingers USA, an all-male group under the direction of former Amherst College Professor Bruce McInnes.
In addition to composing and teaching, Ralph is Choir Director at First Immanuel Lutheran Church in Portland, Director of the Holladay Park Plaza Singers, and a member of the Portland Symphonic Choir. In the summer, Ralph sings with Mastersingers USA, an all-male group under the direction of former Amherst College Professor Bruce McInnes.
Meet our Board of Directors.
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