March in Victoria: Bach's St John Passion, Flemish masters and Vivaldi on fire

March in Victoria belongs to early music.

The month ends with Bach's St John Passion at Christ Church Cathedral, performed by the Victoria Baroque Music Society. It's one of only two Passions of Bach's that survive, and hearing it in the week leading up to Easter, in a church, is close to the context it was written for. If you go to one concert this month, this is the one.

Before that, the Seattle-based Byrd Ensemble sings fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Flemish polyphony at the same venue, and Ensemble Caprice returns to Victoria by popular demand with a Vivaldi programme that lives up to its title.

Two good options for families and newcomers: the Victoria Symphony performs Dan Brown's Wild Symphony at the Farquhar, which is a children's concert that doesn't condescend, and the UVic Wind Symphony closes its season at the same hall later in the month.

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