The real John

Mark Padmore explores an underrated piece

Sometimes, two things just belong together. First off, take one the most underrated pieces of musical history, Bach's "John Passion", which has been standing in the shadows of the monumental Mathew for far too long - the best reason most organisors could provide for staging it all was because people wanted something else once in a while. And then there's Mark Padmore, one of the finest and most prolific singers of our generation, with a discography several pages long and dedicated to his beloved Händel, Haydn, Purcell and Bach. Visitors to his webpage are greeted with the surprising quote "One of the great things I enjoy about singing is exploring texts" - which puts him in line with some of the very best artists of his trade. It also makes for a powerful statement of intent: This man is after nothing less than "the truth". Add to this the fact that Padmore will not be alone in his quest and that the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment will be supporting him on September 17th at the Snape Maltings Concert Hall and one gets the feeling that the world might just see the renaissance of a brilliant composition.

To prepare for this happening and as part of his Aldeburgh Residency, Padmore will be conducting masterclasses with three promising tenors (one of the names that has been mentioned is Andrew Tortise). Also, he will be engaging himself in some serious discussions with instrumentalists, theologians and academics to arrive at a "truthful" (there's that big word again) interpretation. Right before the concert takes place, members of the Orchestra and Padmore will be interviewed by The Times, discussing about radical approaches to the music. Does that seem a little too much for you? Don't worry, you can just sit back and enjoy the music anyway.

Homepage: Mark Padmore
Homepage: Mark Padmore at Van Walsum
Homepage: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Homepage: Aldeburgh