Matthew Passion” is bursting with drama, pictorial instrumentation, arias, theatrical sequences and sheer emotion, which must have been a wild experience for the parishioners three centuries ago at services in Leipzig’s Thomaskirche, where it was performed. ... St Matthew Passion is his most extended work and is supremely rewarding to study, rehearse and perform. Today on the podcast we sit down. Bach's oratorio The St. Matthew Passion has been called the Mount Everest of Western classical music. Recordings > BACH: ST MATTHEW PASSION; BACH: ST MATTHEW PASSION. This isn’t historically informed or accurate, it’s a romantic performance with large forces and slow tempos, but it is widely and in my opinion justly revered. The work was first recorded by symphonic choirs and orchestras. J.S. In our age of period instruments and historically-informed performance, you wouldn’t necessarily turn to the Berlin Philharmonic and the progressive Sir Simon for a top-quality St Matthew Passion. Bach given a boost among under-35s thanks to, Nina Simone plays a stunning Bach-style fugue in the, This Bach cantata is so beautiful it's basically from, Q: How many children did J.S. (‘Passion’ is derived from the Latin verb ‘patior’ meaning ‘to suffer’ or ‘endure’, from which we also get ‘patience’ and ‘patient’.) In 1970 the first HIP recording appeared, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. At the other end of the scale, the venue for Otto Klemperer’s grand affair must have been filled to the rafters with musicians! These performances would … There is something to the St. Gallen Bach Cantata project’s recordings that speaks with an earnestness and directness that other recordings of these works do not. Longing For Sweet Death: St. Gallen’s Bach, Vol. Bach have? Notable recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion (Matthäus-Passion) are shown below in a sortable table. And someone earlier in the group was asking for the "best" recordings of the Passions. The selection is taken from the 253 recordings listed on bach-cantatas as of 2015, beginning with a recording from 1939 by a symphony orchestra and choir to match. And we’re back! The work comprises two choruses, two orchestras (each with continuo organ) and a group of soloists, including Christ and the Evangelist. The first recording of the work was conducted by David McKinley Williams with the choir of St. Bartholomew, New York in 1930, but was not complete. Composed in 1727, it is a setting of sections of St Matthew’s Gospel, designed as part of Good Friday Vespers for the strict Lutheran stronghold of Leipzig. Sung in English. It is a musical icon for the Christian world but at the same time expresses feelings common to the whole of humanity. Find out more about the best versions, and listen and download your favourites. It’s our only non period-instrument contender and features A-list singers from the 1960s, including Elisabeth Schwartzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Peter Pears – the latter is clearly caught at the top of his game. Sir Simon Rattle was in no doubt: the performance of the St Matthew Passion which he realised together with the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Rundfunkchor Berlin in 2010 was for him “the single most important thing we ever did here”. JS Bach St Matthew Passion, BWV 244 Benjamin Bruns (Evangelist), Carolyn Sampson & Aki Matsui (sopranos), Damien Guillon & Clint van der Linde (altos), Makoto Sakurada & Zachary Wilder (tenors), Christian Immler & Toru Kaku (basses); Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki BIS BIS-2500 163.14 mins (2 discs) Had we but world enough and time, the re-release of this 1968 recording of Bach's St. Matthew Passion led by Wolfgang Gönnenwein would be no crime. 10, 12, later re-issued (choruses & arias only) on, collaboration of two conductors (and brothers) and their boys' choirs, re-issued in 2005 Berlin Classics. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. John Eliot Gardiner’s 1988 version is regarded by many as the doyen of original-instrument performances and with soloists such as Barbara Bonney and Anthony Rolfe Johnson, plus energetic choral singing, you can see why. Somary's 1977 recording of the *St. Matthew Passion* has always been one of the better modern-instrument versions, and so it is too bad that its availability is now restricted due to the demise of the Vanguard label. What's the best recording of Bach's monumental choral work, the St Matthew Passion? Image: ©️Marco Borggreve. This 90-year old couple play Bach together and it will, J.S. Browse: Bach, J S - St Matthew Passion, BWV244 This page lists all recordings of St Matthew Passion, BWV244 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Smooth Classics at Seven with John Brunning Amid this wealth of superb recordings, the one that stands out for its sense of involvement and clarity of recording is by Harnoncourt, who combines with his forces to produce a truly great Passion in every sense of the word. Is Anthony Rolfe-Johnson and he is betrayed, tried, crucified and buried musical icon the... Where you ’ d be mistaken to study, rehearse and perform close with! 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