PAUL Spicer is coming to Malvern with an almost messianic belief in the enduring glories of baroque music and, in particular, in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach.

The Birmingham Bach Choir will come to Malvern Priory to perform a very special Eastertide concert, JS Bach's "St John Passion",

with a full cast of soloists and chamber orchestra.

Mr Spicer will be the conductor, and for him it will be a true labour of love.

Mr Spicer, who lectures in music at the Birmingham Conservatoire and also at Oxford and Durham Universities, believes that the St John Passion is "one of the most important pieces from Bach" and it is also "one of the pillars of civilisation".

He said: "Every work by Bach was up there with the very best. We look back now, with two and a half centuries of hindsight, to realise the superiority of almost everything he did.

"In Bach's day, people recognised that some of the things he did were ground-breaking, such as the scale of some of his works; but the style of what he did was regarded as outmoded; it had seen its day, when the classical revolution came about."

He added: "With Mozart and Haydn, the styles are very different. I'm not saying Bach was completely overlooked or unknown; but in the days before recorded music, if it was not performed in public, it tended to go out of mind.

"These days, Bach is well regarded as one of the greatest geniuses the world has ever known."

Mr Spicer described the St John Passion as being "incredibly moving and very special indeed".

"Whenever there is a performance, it is a great event, and I hope we get a decent house in Malvern, because we have some wonderful soloists," he added.

The St John Passion is considered to be an opera in all but name by some critics, because it is such a gripping and dramatic piece of work.

Mr Spicer said: "In fact, people have dramatised it; but I love the purity of it in its concert form.

"One thing I always feel about baroque music is that all baroque music is a dance, slow or fast, and it is about finding that lightness of touch in the music."

Mr Spicer also singled out Bach's handling of the bass notes, his energy and his "heart-rending melodies" as other reasons for his enduring appeal.

"The music is very human, absolutely", he said.

Mr Spicer began conducting the Birmingham Bach Choir in 1992. His latest choral symphony, Unfinished Remembering, composed to commemorate the anniversary of the First World War, was given its world premiere in Symphony Hall Birmingham in September 2014.

As one of the UK’s leading large chamber choirs, Birmingham Bach Choir has been contributing to the musical life of the West Midlands since 1919, making it one of the longest established musical groups in the area.

The St John Passion will be performed at Great Malvern Priory, on Saturday March 5, at 7.30pm.

Tickets and further details on, 01684 892277 or 0121 345 0600.