Christ Church Cathedral continues its tradition of music for Good Friday with The Crucifixion by John Stainer on April 18.
Written in 1887, it is the Victorian composer’s best known work, inspired by the great passions of J.S. Bach and Felix Mendelssohn.
Containing highly memorable hymn tunes for audience participation, it quickly became one of the most performed passion oratorios in Britain.
Music director Canon Michael Gormley attributes the recent return to popularity of Stainer’s Crucifixion to its enduring ability to evoke deeply felt human emotion and a sense of direct participation in the bibilical drama.
Gormley will lead the Cathedral Choir and soloists tenor Josh Lovell and Nicholas Allen.
Lovell and Allen are students of Benjamin Butterfield, currently completing their studies at the University of Victoria’s School of Music. They’re Cathedral Choral Scholars, a program of Christ Church Cathedral’s Music Endowment Fund designed to support and encourage promising young singers in Victoria.
Stainer’s The Crucifixion begins at 7:30 p.m.
Admission is by donation, with all proceeds going towards the cathedral’s music ministry.