St Matthew Passion   J.S. BACH

Bach wrote his St. Matthew Passion as Cantor in Leipzig. When he took office, his pietist contemporaries urged him not to write too theatrically. His great three-hour Passion (premiere in 1727) with double choir and orchestra hardly meets that requirement. It describes the Passion of Jesus according to Matthew and delivers a forceful picture – in the form of poetic insertions by Picander – of the human being in all his vulnerability: pain, betrayal, forgiveness, love, compassion and mercy. It is hard to believe that what for us today is the most important piece of Passion music was performed just three times and then forgotten. It is thanks to Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy that it was revived in Berlin in 1829.

Philippe Herreweghe is one of the most renowned Bach interpreters of our day. In his work with the Passions, Herreweghe constantly finds new approaches.

Julian Prégardien – Evangelist
Florian Boesch – Jesus
Dorothee Mields, Grace Davidson – soprano
Hugh Cutting, William Shelton – countertenor
Hugo Hymas, Benedict Hymas – tenor
Konstantin Krimmel, Tobias Berndt – bass

Collegium Vocale Gent Choir & Orchestra
Conductor: Philippe Herreweghe