A resplendent St John Passion at Carnegie Hall

Joélle Harvey and Bernard Labadie

La Chapelle de Québec and Orchestra of St Luke's

Bernard Labadie conducts the Orchestra of St Luke's

By Susan Stempleski, 12 April 2025

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“delivered their theatrical moments with virtuosity”

Reviewed at Carnegie Hall: Stern Auditorium, New York City on 10 April 2025

Bach, St John Passion, BWV245

Orchestra of St Luke's

Bernard Labadie, Conductor

Andrew Haji, Tenor

Philippe Sly, Bass-baritone

Joélle Harvey, Soprano

Hugh Cutting, Countertenor

Samuel Boden, Tenor

William Thomas, Bass

La Chapelle de Québec

Kinan Azmeh offers a sampling of delights with St Luke’s

No’a L. bat Miri, 15th April

As part of St Luke’s ‘Visionary Sounds’ series, Kinan Azmeh joined the chamber ensemble to play a variety of his own compositions.

****1

Minimalism with a beating heart: Julius Eastman's Femenine

Kurt Gottschalk, 4th February

The spirit of the St Luke's Chamber Ensemble makes for a successful performance of Julius Eastman's 1974 composition Femenine.

****1

Pichon crafts inventive Beethoven program with Orchestra of St Luke's

Cameron Kelsall, 6th November

The French conductor pairs Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with several of the composer’s more obscure miniatures, performed alongside thematically related poetry.

*****

Promethean Fire and an homage to Carolyn Adams ignite Paul Taylor

Carla Escoda, 6th November

A chilling masterpiece, a tribute to a beloved dancer, and the announcement of a new resident choreographer galvanized the Paul Taylor Dance gala audience at New York's Lincoln Center.

****1

Three premieres – heard twice – in New York

Kurt Gottschalk, 25th July

It can be a pleasure to hear an unfamiliar piece twice in the same program. Here, we heard three premieres fresh and then repeated after composer comments.

***11

St Luke's Chamber Ensemble finds the joy in Julius Eastman

Kurt Gottschalk, 22nd June

In their “Visionary Sounds” concert, the ensemble lets Eastman's Stay On It fall into abandon at times... but never without a plan.

****1

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Susan Stempleski

Based in New York City, Susan is a retired specialist in second and foreign language teaching and the author/editor of several professional books for language teachers and many widely used textbooks for English language learners around the world. An avid concertgoer, she spends her time attending operas and other classical music events in New York and Paris. Since 2002, she has regularly published reviews on Classical Source. A keen Francophile, she has a particularly strong interest in French music, literature and film.