Summer Concert - Bach & Pergolesi

Join us for an unforgettable evening of music in the heart of north Leeds.

Pergolesi's Stabat Mater is one of the most deeply moving works ever written — a meditation on love, grief, and compassion that has stirred audiences for nearly three centuries. Scored for soprano and alto soloists, female choir, and strings, its beauty is immediate and overwhelming. This performance, under the direction of Eduardo Portal Martín, brings together some of Yorkshire's finest vocal and instrumental talent to do full justice to this extraordinary masterpiece.

The programme opens with J.S. Bach's Cantata BWV 45, presented here in a bold and pioneering new way: with live theatrical narration by Gabriel Mata, who guides the audience through the work in real time — transforming the emotional impact and understanding of the piece, and making Bach's profound musical drama accessible to every listener. This is a new concept for the performance of Bach cantatas, and makes this an evening of genuine cultural significance as well as exceptional musical quality.
Together, these two works create a concert of remarkable depth and beauty — an evening you will not forget.

Programme
J.S. Bach - Cantata BWV 45 — "Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist"
A dramatic and deeply moving cantata for soloists, four-part choir, and orchestra, with live theatrical narration by Gabriel Mata.
G.B. Pergolesi - Stabat Mater
One of the most cherished works in all of classical music — a meditation on grief and compassion, performed here for soprano and alto soloists, female choir, and orchestra

The Performers
Soloists:
Claire Lees — Soprano
Hannah Mason — Alto

Kamil Bien — Tenor
James Davies — Bass

Conductor: Eduardo Portal
Reader: Gabriel Mata

The Harewood Consort
The Harewood Consort brings together professional and semi-professional instrumentalists and singers from across Yorkshire to perform outstanding choral and orchestral music for audiences in north Leeds