Word: cecilia
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Boston Cecilia...
...dramatic tropes of the Passion cannot be cleanly divorced from the explicit Christian story the Passion tells, for religious Christians naturally continue to take the story of the Passion seriously (after all, it comes straight from the gospel of John). This becomes troublesome when, as with the Boston Cecilia's Easter-time performances of Bach's St. John Passion, the sacred Christian text contains traces of anti-Semitism...
...remarkable demonstration of "living in uncertainties", the Boston Cecilia performed Bach's St. John Passion with grace and skill, singing with feeling without appearing tactless. Brave enough not to gloss over the anti-Semitism of the piece with a simple program note or disclaimer, The Boston Cecilia and All Saints Parish presented the panel discussion, "Art and Anti-Semitism: Perceptions of Anti-Semitism in the St. John Passion...
...simplicity of this argument did not satisfy some audience members, but Gould maintained that Bach's St. John Passion was not a gratuitous choice: it is one of only two Passions by Bach, both universally recognized masterpieces. Himself a member of The Boston Cecilia Board of Directors, Gould's argument seemed analogous to the Cecilia's decision to both perform the Passion and to hold the anti-Semitism discussion: Great art should be performed, and when it is controversial, that controversy must be faced. But this seems to be a stop-gap argument. Was The Boston Cecilia primarily motivated...
...anything can incontrovertibly justify The Boston Cecilia's choice, it might be the performance. A fifty-four person chorus, five soloists (including an extremely crisp Narrator) and an orchestra using period instruments performed in one of Boston's more sublime National Historic Landmarks, Jordan Hall (where the floor is radically slanted towards the stage, giving the mezzanine a definite whirlpool effect...