WHAT better way to prepare for Easter than with the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North performing Bach’s St John Passion?

Bach’s powerful and dramatic music, first performed in Leipzig in 1724, recreates the story of Christ’s final days on earth.

For this Easter performance at Dewsbury Town Hall on Thursday March 20 (7.30pm), Opera North has brought together six soloists. Four of them have performed recently with the company.

Soprano, Fllur Wyn has appeared in The Magic Flute, The Fortunes of King Croesus and Hansel and Gretel; Henry Waddington, who sings the role of Jesus in this concert, sang the part of Cyrus in The Fortunes of King Croesus and the alto Yvonne Howard is currently appearing in Peter Grimes.

The tenor, Nicholas Sharratt appeared in the 8 Little Greats season and, more recently, in Christopher Alden’s production of Orfeo.

Also performing will be the Swedish bass Håkan Ekenäs as well as the tenor Andrew Tortise who is being seen as an engaging new talent.

The conductor for the evening will be David Hill who is widely acknowledged as one of the leading conductors in the UK. He is music director of the Bach Choir, the BBC Singers and the Leeds Philharmonic Society.

Tickets are £6 to £16 (plus concessions) from Kirklees Booking Offices, ticket hotline: 01484 223200. There’s a chance before the concert to learn more about the background to the performance in a pre-concert discussion, Talking Music at 6.40pm in the main hall.