WCPE Celebrates J.S. Bach’s Birthday on Good Friday

WAKE FOREST, N.C., USA (SANEPR.com) March 14, 2008 -- “Great Sacred Music” host Ken Hoover of WCPE, TheClassicalStation.Org, announces today special programming to commemorate Good Friday and celebrate J.S. Bach’s birthday. The station will air a full performance of Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” March 21 at 7 p.m. ET.

Bach’s masterpiece laid dormant from the time of his death in 1750 until noted composer Felix Mendelssohn revived it at an 1829 performance in Berlin. Today, the “St. Matthew Passion” is hailed as one of the greatest musical settings for the portrayal of the Crucifixion of Christ, and continues to be a prominent performance for followers of the Christian belief.

“Its symbolism in telling the story of Christ’s suffering and death is dramatized through a wide variety of musical devices,” says Hoover. “The emotion conveyed in the meditative arias is intense and riveting. The Lutheran congregation of the day was drawn into the experience through the masterfully composed chorales.”

In this select 1989 performance, The English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir perform under the direction of John Eliot Gardiner, and soloists include: Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor; Andreas Schmidt, baritone; Barbara Bonney, soprano; and Anne Sofie von Otter, contralto.

WCPE’s live broadcast of Great Classical Music 24, Hours a Day can be accessed around the globe in several ways: on-line streaming in multiple formats, including IPv6; local cable television systems; and traditional radio broadcasting. A complete list of the ways WCPE is available with instructions for cable and satellite reception can be found at theclassicalstation.org/listen.

About WCPE:
With a 30-year history, WCPE is committed to provide excellence in Great Classical Music broadcasting. General Manager Deborah S. Proctor’s leadership has enabled the WCPE community to expand beyond central North Carolina to include regional, national and worldwide listeners. WCPE is one of the first public broadcasters to stream on the Internet and is heard worldwide in multiple formats, including the next generation IPv6. Other radio stations and cable television systems are able to rebroadcast Great Classical Music, 24 Hours A Day without compensatory requirements. Community-minded business underwriters and foundations are among the 150,000 listeners in the North Carolina broadcast area. Because WCPE receives no tax-derived support, the station conducts two on-air fundraising campaigns and two major mail-out campaigns per year to raise needed operating funds. Quarter Notes, the WCPE Program Guide, is published four times a year as a means to enhance appreciation and understanding of classical music. It is distributed to station supporters and is also available online at TheClassicalStation.org/guide. For more information, visit TheClassicalStation.Org or call 1-800-556-5178.
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