Each May, Cincinnati is surrounded with song as the May Festival Chorus presents the oldest, and one of the most prestigious, choral festivals in the Western Hemisphere.
Bach's St. Matthew Passion
Sunday October 4, 2020 at 8 p.m.
Juanjo Mena, conductor Berit Norbakken Solset, soprano Carlos Mena, countertenor Werner Güra, tenor Ben Bliss, tenor James Newby, baritone Hanno Müller-Brachmann, bass-baritone May Festival Chorus and Youth Chorus Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Originally performed on May 25, 2019
Leonard Bernstein described Bach's St. Matthew Passion as "a revered masterpiece." This is "drama at the boiling point." Bach's Passion is an opportunity to marvel at the reach of human invention and perfection in all its forms. Bach colors a vision of a gospel and each brush stroke dispels the mists of separation between mere mortals and divine revelation.
Music:
BACH: St. Matthew Passion
Juanjo Mena's Debut
Sunday October 11, 2020 at 8 p.m.
Juanjo Mena, conductor May Festival Chorus Robert Porco, Chorus Director
Originally performed on May 25, 2018
Years ago, Juanjo Mena fell in love with the May Festival Chorus–through Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé. Experience this lush and romantic ballet–along with Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and the North American premiere of James MacMillan's Credo–as we celebrate Juanjo's first concert as May Festival Principal Conductor.
James Conlon, conductor Morris Robinson, bass Sarah Vautour, soprano Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano Richard Trey Smagur, tenor Donnie Ray Albert, baritone May Festival Chorus Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Cincinnati Youth Choir
Originally performed on May 24, 2019
Music mysteriously connects us to the past and sounds the truths to be found in fables. Here three masters lead us through a gallery of cautionary tales which warn of love for the throne and the sure weight of the crown. Mahler's grim vignettes from German fairy tales, Boito's devilish take on Faust and Mussorgsky's telling of Russian rule bring the dramatic ends of these desirous searches very much to life.
Music:
MAHLER: Das klagende Lied BOITO: Prologue from Mefistofele MUSSORGSKY: Prologue and Farewell from Boris Godunov
Bach's Mass In B Minor
Sunday October 25, 2020 at 8 p.m.
Harry Bicket, conductor Joelle Harvey, soprano Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano Daniel Taylor, countertenor; Thomas Cooley, tenor; Matthew Brook, bass-baritone; Robert Porco, Director of Choruses; May Festival Chorus; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Originally performed on May 27, 2017
Experience Bach's monumental B Minor Mass, from the intricate intertwining of voices in the ''Crucifixus,'' to the explosive ''Et resurrexit'' and the vigorous ''Hosanna in excelsis,'' to the exquisitely soaring ''Dona nobis pacem.'' This music – which Bach developed throughout his entire life but never heard performed – is among the finest expressions of the choral Mass ever written. It is a masterwork for all times in the hands of a true master, esteemed Baroque interpreter Harry Bicket.
Music:
BACH: B Minor Mass
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