Easter Music

Classic99.com streaming has the following lineup for Holy Week:

Good Friday, April 6, 2012 12:00 noon Saint John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach The complete Passion features the Leipzig Radio Choir and the Dresden State Orchestra, along with some marvelous soloists, including Peter Schreier as the Evangelist, and Robert Holl singing the words of Christ.  2:00 p.m. Seven Last Words of Christ by Franz Josef Haydn  Played in its entirety without interruption by the Juilliard String Quartet, and featuring soloists Benita Valente, Jan DeGaetani, Jon Humphrey and Thomas Paul. 4:00 p.m. Golgotha by Frank Martin  This rarely heard Oratorio, written by the Swiss composer just after World War II, is based on the Passion models of Bach. 7:00 p.m. The Crucifixion by Sir John Stainer  This musical "Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer," as the composer referred to it, features the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, England.

Saturday, April 7, 2012 12:00 noon Passion According to Saint Matthew by Johann Sebastian Bach  This monumental account of the Passion story from Matthew's gospel is delivered by the Monteverdi Choir, along with the English Baroque Soloists, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner. Singing the words of Jesus is Andreas Schmidt, with Evangelist Anthony Rolfe Johnson headlining an all-star cast.

Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012 8:00 a.m. "JOY!" with Ron Klemm Music for Easter 12:00 noon "This Joyful Eastertide" On Easter Sunday afternoon, CLASSIC99.com will present This Joyful Eastertide. Ron Klemm will be your host for this two-hour special broadcast that celebrates Christ's resurrection. Classical favorites by Bach, Handel, Vaughan Williams, and John Rutter will be complimented with choral and instrumental selections to provide a festive afternoon of great music for Easter. 3:00 p.m. Mass in B-Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach This music, which some have called a "landmark of Western civilization," is a tour de force for chorus. Our Easter presentation features a fine recording by the Netherlands Chamber Choir and the Orchestra of the 18th Century, conducted by Frans Brüggen. 7:00 p.m. Messiah by George Frederic Handel  CLASSIC99.com's second presentation of Handel's beloved oratorio. The Easter Sunday recording features the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Mendelssohn Choir, and soloists Kathleen Battle, Florence Quivar, John Aler, and Samuel Ramey; conducted by Sir Andrew Davis.

Monday, April 9, 2012 8:00 p.m. Symphony # 2 Resurrection by Gustav Mahler  The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus bring us this monumental work, with soprano Kathleen Battle and contralto Maureen Forrester; Leonard Slatkin conducts.