Three exclusive concerts will be held, all starting at 9:00 p.m., each with a distinct identity, explained João Janeiro, who directs the ensemble from the harpsichord, to Lusa agency.
The season kicks off on Friday, April 11, at the Igreja Matriz de Idanha-a-Nova in the district of Castelo Branco, where works by J.S. Bach will be presented to the public in a “slightly different format,” the conductor previewed.
The vocal parts of the composition will be interwoven with performances by actress Alexandra Solange from the Ajidanha company, based in Idanha-a-Nova. She will depict the most dramatic moments of the choruses from “St John’s Passion.”
“It is a semi-staged recitation to provide context to the text of the ‘Passion’,” says João Janeiro, referring to an “original context of baroque period oratorios.”
On Saturday, CIOB will present the full version of “St John’s Passion” at the Igreja Matriz do Crato in the district of Portalegre.
At the Sé Concatedral de Castelo Branco, on Sunday, April 13, the production is presented with “a particularity never done before, even when ‘Passions’ are performed at the Gulbenkian [in Lisbon] or Casa da Música [in Porto],” emphasized the conductor.
“The score of ‘St John’s Passion’ is divided into two parts, and at the end of the first part, the composer instructs, ‘Begin the second part after the sermon’.
As in previous Easter seasons, this indication will be honored in Castelo Branco: “Father Nuno Folgado, a remarkable natural force, memorizes part of sermons by Father António Vieira and performs between the first and second part, as Bach’s source notes, reciting part of the sermon.”
This detail, João Janeiro observes, “has an extraordinary theatrical effect,” adding “this particularly interesting extra” to the final concert of the season.
For this concert cycle, the CIOB, comprising mainly Portuguese and Spanish musicians as well as some French and Italian members, will feature “a group of renowned national and international soloists,” including Eunice Abranches d’Aguiar (soprano), Julian Schmidlin (alto), João Terleira (tenor), and Tiago Mota (bass).
According to CIOB, Bach’s “Passions” are “among the most exemplary works in the entire history of European music.”
Originally intended for the composer’s entry into service in Leipzig in 1723 as master (Kantor) of St. Thomas Church, the “St John’s Passion” was premiered only at Easter 1724 at St. Nicholas Church in the same city, followed by various presentations in different versions, four of which have been identified.
The 2025 Easter Season is the ninth production of the passions cycle, organized since 2016 by MAAC – Música Antiga Associação Cultural, which manages CIOB.
Traditionally divided between Oeiras and Castelo Branco, this year’s Easter Season will take place in the interior of Portugal, “in very beautiful and special historical sites,” highlighted Maestro João Janeiro.
