A Night at the Theatre- St Matthew´s Passion

On Thursday 2nd April, Spanish students at Instituto Hemingway have another evening at the Arriaga Theatre in Bilbao www.teatroarriaga.com , to enjoy some classical music. Semana Santa, or Easter Week, is almost upon us and the Arriaga Theatre is celebrating by inviting Cristoph Spering, director of Neue Orchestra and the Cologne Chamber Choir, to perform on-stage. This gives Spanish and intern students a chance to enjoy some typical Spanish flamenco. Meet at Instituto Hemingway at 7.30pm for an 8pm performance.

St Matthew´s Passion BWV 244 by Johann Sebastian Bach was played for the first time on Good Friday in 1729 in St Thomas´s Cathedral in Leipzig, and was conducted by the composer himself. Bach was 44 years old at the time.

During its time, the composition was not highly regarded and was quickly forgotten, like a lot of his works. However, in 1829, St Matthew´s Passion was re-interpreted by Felix Mendelssohn, igniting a new public interest in the works of Bach, which has continued to this very day.