It was emotional for sure, when two years ago during the first lockdown the sounds of the ‘Erbarme Dich’ did not come from the Grote Kerk, but came from speakers. Yet nothing beats the experience of a week-long Matthäus Passion from the fortified city. The small town will be dominated by the Easter concert again next week after two years full of cancellations.
And immediately there is a special edition on the doorstep. Not only is it the hundredth performance of the Netherlands Bach Society in Naarden, last year the St. Matthew Passion was officially added to the National Inventory of Intangible Heritage.
“We missed it all,” says resident of the fortress Lonie Vles. “It is sad for the musicians and for Naarden Vesting, a loss.” All the greater is the joy that it can go ahead again this year. “It’s really nice that we can do something at the top of ourselves again,” says catering entrepreneur Wachter Muller.
5 concerts
From Sunday 9 to Saturday 16 April, the ‘Matthäus’ will be performed five times in Naarden. “It’s a whole organization,” says Saskia Simons from the former town hall of Naarden. All special guests are received there prior to the concert, including members of the cabinet on Good Friday. “It’s always great fun, it just makes me happy,” Simons laughs.
“In the city, everyone is fully prepared for it,” she continues. Catering entrepreneur Wachter Muller agrees with this. “We like that crowds. Creating capacity that we actually don’t have.”
For example, the fortress will be submerged for a week in bustle, long dresses and dignified suits with hopefully some room for reflection. “It’s quiet here,” says resident Lonie. “The silence here in the morning on Good Friday before everything starts, that’s fantastic.”