THE international star, Ian Bostridge, joins the finest period instrumentalists and singers of Armonico Consort to bring Bach’s masterpiece, the St Matthew Passion, to life in a four venue tour which takes in Malvern.

Bach’s offering has been described as a work of genius, combining the most perfectly formed recitative with his most beautiful arias and will ensure the St Matthew Passion reflects on the emotional drama from the story of the Passion of Christ.

There will be performances at Yeovil and London with two others at Warwick Arts Centre on March 26 and Malvern on March 28.

Meanwhile Birmingham Conservatoire will be presenting 12 hours of piano music, through the night, at the Town Hall.

Guest artists include Alistair McGowan, Gergely Bogányi, Peter Donohoe, Mark Bebbington, Dr Anna Scott, a mystery guest, and many others including The Olympianist, Anthony Hewitt, who leaves his house in Richmond at 7.30pm as the concert starts, bicycles through the night (with pictures screened live in the foyer), arrives at 6.30am and plays Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit.

The evening kicks off with the amazing Hungarian virtuoso Gergely Bogányi performing Chopin Nocturnes, a mystery guest plays Beethoven Sonatas Op 109, 110 & 111 and Peter Donohoe performs Messiaen’s The Garden Warbler.

There’s Satie and Grieg from Alistair McGowan, John Ireland’s Sarnia from Mark Bebbington, Brahms and Schumann from Dr Anna Scott on a piano made by Clara Schumann’s cousin, W Wieck, and Strauss/Tennyson’s Enoch Arden, Melodrama for narrator and piano Op 38 with a celebrated actor. Margaret Fingerhut, Daniel Browell, Pei-Chun Liao, Di Xiao, David Quigley, John Thwaites, Julian Jacobson, and prize-winning Conservatoire students can all be heard in a single night!

The marathon finishes in monumental style on Saturday morning with Messiaen’s Dieu Parmi Nous on the Town Hall organ.

This unique event will have three Steinway concert grands, period pianos and harpsichords.

And there is also a bar and catering all night!