The timeless and powerful story of Jesus’ last days, death, and resurrection will be told through the passion music of the German composer Reinhard Keiser by the early music group, A Joyful Noyse. Presented as part of the Hancock Concert Series, A Joyful Noyse will present selections from both Keiser’s Brockes Passion as well as his Passion According to St. Mark. The concert will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 5 at Hancock Church in Lexington.
Reinhard Keiser (1674-1739) was known primarily as a celebrated opera composer, whose works in that genre numbered well over one hundred, but his sacred music also gained great respect and influenced the works of his contemporaries, including J.S. Bach, Handel and Telemann. He was the first to set the text of the so-called Brockes passion to music in 1712. This passion libretto, structured like an opera, was enormously popular and was later set by many composers, including Handel and Telemann. The concert will include excerpts from both this Brockes Passion and his St Mark Passion, which was likely first conducted by J.S. Bach.
A resident ensemble of Hancock Church, A Joyful Noyse is a collaborative group of professional and amateur musicians from across the greater Boston area who perform liturgical music of the 16th-18th centuries. Under the direction of Martins Aldins, the group consists of singers and period instrumentalists. Their recent concert exploring the creation of Handel’s Messiah was hailed by audiences as “mesmerizing” and “superb.”
The Passion Music of Reinhard Keiser will take place at Hancock Church, UCC, 1912 Massachusetts Ave in Lexington. Free parking is available behind the church and the building is fully handicap accessible. Admission to the concert is a suggested donation of $15, although all are welcome regardless of ability to donate. For more information, please visit www.hancockchurch.org or call 781-862-4220.
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