Gareth Malone’s Easter Passion sees the renowned choirmaster undertake one of his trickiest and most emotional missions to date.
In the special documentary, airing this Easter on BBC One, Gareth Malone, whose previous series include The Naked Choir , The Choir: Singing for Britain and Sing for the King, prepares eight talented amateur singers to take part in a performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s 1724 oratorio the St John Passion, which is inspired by the Easter story.
Here’s everything you need to know about Gareth Malone’s Easter Passion…
Gareth Malone’s Easter Passion release date
The two-part documentary begins on Good Friday, March 29 at 11.15 am on BBC One and will conclude on Easter Sunday, March 31 at 11.30 am on BBC One.
The concert will air on Easter Sunday, March 31 at 6 pm on BBC Two.
The series and the concert, which will take place at Cardiff’s Hoddinott Hall, will also be available on BBC iPlayer.
Gareth Malone’s Easter Passion – what is it about?
The series follows Gareth Malone over two months as he searches for eight amateur singers who have little experience of choral music, but who he feels have got what it takes to sing Bach’s the St John Passion in the special performance to mark the 300th anniversary of the 1724 oratorio.
As he selects his vocalists and puts them through their paces, the choristers try to get to grips with the tricky music, while they also open up about their own backgrounds and the difficulties they have faced in their lives that allow them to connect to the piece, which recounts Jesus’ crucifixion.
In the final concert, they will then sing alongside professional soloists Roderick Williams, Nicholas Mulroy and Julia Doyle as well as the BBC Singers and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Gareth Malone’s Easter Passion – who are the choristers?
Gareth Malone’s chosen group are:
Simon Askey – the grandad suffers from severe asthma and is in a Male Voice Choir.
Rhiannon Chard – the musical theatre student is an aspiring teacher.
Joy Dando – the former head teacher is now a music psychotherapist.
Astrid Glover – the civil servant sings with a gospel choir.
Evan Hancock – the music graduate and amateur footballer is a flautist.
Annette Leponis – the clinical psychologist sings with an acapella group.
Jake Sawyers – the partially-sighted Welshman is a drag performer.
Samar Small – the Egyptian-born civil servant has sung with a musical theatre choir.
Gareth Malone’s Easter Passion – interview with Gareth Malone
What was your thinking behind the project?
“I’m obsessed with Bach! When I was studying singing, I sang the narrator role of the Evangelist in the St John, and I loved it. And this year is its 300th anniversary, so it seemed right.”
Why is the St John Passion such a choral masterpiece?
“The Easter story deals with the big questions in life. We all have struggles and experience betrayal, loss and pain. And this is a moving telling of that. It’s super-dramatic and was a game changer when it was written and it still has power.”
How challenging was it to get the choir ready in just two months?
“It's been more ‘sweaty’ than anything I've done before! This piece is two hours long and it's easy to listen to but not easy to sing.”
What were you looking for from your vocalists?
"I needed people with musicality. It's an Everest of a challenge for an amateur singer. They didn’t know this piece, they’d just signed up to do some singing with me, so I was trying to pick people who didn’t cry or fall apart!”
Tell us about the choristers you chose, who have all encountered struggles that allowed them to relate to the Passion story…
“They had varied musical experience. Astrid, who sings in a gospel choir, learnt the whole thing by heart.
"And Evan is probably the most musical of them all, but he's never sung classical choral music, so he had to change his style. His transformation was extraordinary.
"Then Jake, a partially-sighted drag queen, hid behind his iPad at first. But he has a great high tenor voice. He was unbelievable.”
What did they get out of it?
“A sense of accomplishment from tackling such a titanic work. Now, some are off to audition for the BBC National Chorus of Wales. One said, ‘I can't go back to my normal choir now, you've ruined me!’ “
Does singing with a choir still give you a buzz too?
“Yes, to have a massive orchestra in front of you, and 100 people singing alongside you, it's so powerful. “
And what does your Easter involve?
“The Easter oratorio by Bach will be blaring out. And it's about eating lamb, and having chocolate Easter egg hunts in the garden! I prefer eggs to bunnies if you’re wondering what to send!”
