It's been 11 years since Johann Sebastian Bach's "St. John Passion" has been mounted in Tucson.
It's a big choral piece with numerous soloists. It is not for the faint of heart.
"To do a 'St. John' is an expensive undertaking, artistically and financially. They are few and far between because they are big undertakings," said longtime singer/University of Arizona voice professor Grayson Hirst, who had the role of the Evangelist in that 1997 performance for the UA's Collegium Musicum and reprises the role Saturday with the Wieck Chamber Singers.
The professional Wieck Chamber Singers have hired 26 singers for the choir, a full orchestra and key vocal and instrumental soloists — all of them ranking in the highest echelon of Tucson's music community, including Arizeder Urreiztieta as Jesus, Larry Alexander as Pilate, Jeffrey Campbell on organ, Zoran Stillin on cello and Mark Rethman on harpsichord. In addition to Hirst, the vocal talent includes soprano Molly Holleran, mezzo-soprano Korby Myrick, tenor Francisco Renteria, bass Scott Montgomery and baritone Michael Rhodes. Recent University of Arizona graduate Justin Raffa will conduct.
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The ensemble's founder, Jill Wieck, said she and her husband, Harold, are putting up $12,000 to mount the production on Saturday. This is the group's second production after kicking off last December with Handel's "Messiah."
The couple launched their group last year after years of dreaming and planning. Wieck Chamber Singers present concerts of classical sacred music that is no longer heard in churches.
Hirst said he considers "St. John Passion" — which follows the biblical text according to Luther of Christ's trial, crucifixion and death — as more of a work of art than a work of religion.
"It's a monument of artistic achievement," Hirst said, commending the Wiecks for presenting it in its original German. "I want to approach this thing as a great work of art, not a religious experience."
Wieck said the audience can follow the story in English, translated from the King James version of the Bible.
The performance also will feature soloists on platforms rising above the chorus, allowing for more interplay between the chorus and the soloists. The chorus also will stand in front of the orchestra, which Wieck said was the tradition dating from the earliest performances in the mid-1720s.
The performance begins at 7 p.m. at Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2331 E. Adams St. Tickets are $15 at the door; those 18 and younger are free. A reception will follow the performance. For more information, call the Wiecks at 682-9544.
