Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion and Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Jesus Christ Superstar are both topical Easter classics, which made a mash-up inevitable. Last week, I saw just such a thing in Amersfoort.
While I’ve seen the movie-version JCS several times, I wouldn’t know all songs by heart. Bach’s Matthäus Passion, I heard of. It’s pretty ubiquitous—for example, one of my favorite Skik songs refrences it: Kommt ihr Töchter helft mir klagen/Ruischt de eeuwigheid/Hier is iemand door een einde/Van alle last bevrijd
—but I still believe that I prefer my classical music without a lot of singing, and the Passion has about two and a half hours of that. It’s daunting. Still, when I saw this combination, it tickled my fancies, and I got myself a ticket.
The show was pretty rad. There was a band, an orchestra and a choir, as well as several soloists. Solid performances all around, but if I had to name a favorite, it would probably Rob Hogenboom, whose Cayafas and Herod were nicely beefed up and over the top (and I just love the line Prove to me that you’re no fool; walk across my swimming pool…
). I thought that the second half flowed a bit better than the first one, but that’s probably just me. Having a terrific performance of “Gethsemane” also helps.
I’m not sure I really need to see a full version of either JCS or the Matthäus Passion, but I’d be up for another round of this. That could very well be next year, as I’m led to believe they’ll reprise De passie then.
- Seen live
- De passie: Een versmelting van de Matthäus Passion van J.S. Bach en Jesus Christ Superstar van Andrew Lloyd Webber en Tim Rice
- Performers
- Lundi Bleu Orchestra, Miles Band/Orchestra, Vocaal Ensemble Vivavoce
- Vocalists
- Jeannette van Schaik (soprano), Carlijn Kooijmans (alto), Linard Vrielink (tenor), Robert Brower (bass), Kobus Groen (Judas), Erik van Houten (Jesus), Bastiaan Sparnaay (Pilate/disciple), Rob Hogenboom (Cayafas/Herod/disciple), Norman Kapoyos (Annas/disciple), Abke Bruins (Maria Magdalene), Joost Steltenpool (Peter/High Priest), Lonneke Scholten (disciple)
- Approximate set list
- Kommt ihr Töchter helft mir klagen / Overture / Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du verbrochen / Heaven on Their Minds / What’s the Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying / Du lieber Heiland du / Buß und Reu / This Jesus Must Die / Ja nicht auf das fest / Pilate’s Dream / O Schmerz! Hier zittert das gequälte Herz / Ich will bei meinem Jesu wachten / The Last Supper / Gebt mir meinem Jesu wieder / Damned For All Time / Blood Money // Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben / Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say) / Gerne will ich mich bequemen / So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen / Peter’s Denial / Erbarme dich / Pilate and Christ / King Herod’s Song (Try it and See) / Lass ihn kreuzigen / Trial Before Pilate / Sein Blut komme uber uns end unsre Kinder / The Thirty-Nine Lashes / Superstar / O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden / Du edles Angesichte / John Nineteen: Forty-One