Recording artist and songwriter Bob Franke and other musicians will perform Franke’s Meditations on the Passion, familiarly known as the “Good Friday Cantata,” on Friday, March 29, at 8 p.m. at the Church of St. Andrew in Marblehead. Goodwill donations ($10 suggested) will be accepted at the door.
The cantata, first performed at St. Andrew’s on Good Friday in 1980, has been performed there nearly every year since, bringing vocal and instrumental performers from New England and beyond. In addition to the St. Andrew’s choir, this year’s vocalists include Howard Bursen, Bob Franke, Martin Grosswendt, Ellen Groves, Chelsea Haynes, Doug Johnson, Kristian Mitchell, Sally Rogers and Christopher Stockwell. Instrumentalists include Dave Mattacks, William Bueno, Joshua-Levin-Epstein and Grosswendt. Christiana Goslin Bueno is music director.
Most songs are about Jesus’ Passion, with soloists singing the parts of Jesus, John, Peter, Judas, Mary and others; other songs are about contemporary people who have faced figurative crucifixion. “Although the story we retell here is at the core of Christianity, it is not necessarily about being a Christian,” Bob Franke says. “It’s about being human in the presence of the Divine, and it’s about the presence of redemption in the midst of the most horrific and tragic dimensions of the human condition.”
The Rev. C. Clyde Elledge, rector at St. Andrew’s, comments, “This is art, but it is also a true offering of Midrash, that is, commentary on the Scripture.” He adds, “It is fitting that we perform the cantata, which has been such an integral part of this community’s Holy Week for more than 40 years, in a year when we are also celebrating the 100th anniversary of St. Andrew’s.”
A professional recording of the cantata, produced by Dave Mattacks and issued in 2022, can be purchased for $10 from BobFranke.com. To listen to a sample track, visit www.standrewsmhd.org/cantata.html.
For more information, call the church office, 781-631-4951, or visit www.standrewsmhd.org.