Durham University Chamber Choir have told me that the soloists for their performance of Bach’s St John Passion on 2 March will be tenor Benedict Hymas singing the role Evangelist, and baritone Roderick Williams will sing Christus.
Yes, you read that correctly. Roderick Williams, one of the country’s leading singers, will be singing for us in Durham, after a warm-up gig the night before singing the same work with Sir Simon Rattle in Berlin. I’m also pretty excited about the Evangelist: I heard Benedict Hymas singing with the Gabrieli Consort in their Venetian Coronation last year and his voice is sublime. Both of the soloists have family connections with the university.
The performance will be conducted by Hugo Hymas, and accompanied by a professional period instrument orchestra. With soloists like this, I expect this will sell out very quickly – the Great Hall at University College isn’t huge.
