Dunedin Consort, directed by John Butt, marks 300 years of Bach's Matthew Passion with eight singers and two orchestras.
Dunedin Consort bring Bach's Matthew Passion to The Queen's Hall on Friday 26 March 2027, a performance that falls during Eastertide. The date carries a bit of weight: the Matthew Passion was first performed on Good Friday in 1727, and this concert marks 300 years of the work.
It's a long, heavy piece of music that follows the drama of betrayal, trial, judgment and crucifixion, though a thread of love—both human and divine—runs through it. The performance brings together eight singers and two orchestras, working together and apart to narrate, comment on and reflect upon the last days of Jesus' life. The scale of it is part of the experience: the two orchestras don't just play alongside each other, they trade off, creating a conversation that mirrors the different perspectives within the story.
John Butt directs from the harpsichord, with Anna Dennis on soprano, James Hall on countertenor, Nicholas Mulroy as the Evangelist, and Malachy Frame as Christus. The RSNS youth chorus provides the choral weight. The Evangelist is the narrator, the one who tells the story, while Christus sings the words of Jesus, and the chorus takes on the roles of the crowds and the disciples.
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The evening is part of the Edinburgh Subscription Season, so it's one of the city's main classical fixtures. The box office opens at 5.30pm, with doors and the bar opening at 6.00pm. The concert starts at 7.00pm and runs for about three hours. Tickets range from £44 to £8, and those prices include a £2 fee per transaction.
