It is a musical icon for the Christian world but at the same time expresses feelings common to the whole of humanity. It contains superb singing, in particular from Matthias Goerne as Christ, who is compelling, and Bernarda Fink, who delivers a charming ‘Erbarme dich mein Gott’ – as indeed does Andreas Scholl in Philippe Herreweghe’s version. There had already been a long history of Passion music – that is musical settings telling the story of the final, short period in the life of Jesus. (‘Passion’ is derived from the Latin verb ‘patior’ meaning ‘to suffer’ or ‘endure’, from which we also get ‘patience’ and ‘patient’.) Browse: Bach, J S - St Matthew Passion, BWV244 This page lists all recordings of St Matthew Passion, BWV244 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). And someone earlier in the group was asking for the "best" recordings of the Passions. Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s tempi may be brisk at times, but his is a refreshing and moving reading. This St. Matthew is for me the best recording I've ever heard. Some scholars believe that Bach used only one singer for a vocal part in the choral movements, termed "one voice per part" (OVPP). However, not every recording uses such large ensembles. 11, 21, 65, 66; Abridged Nos. After that it was not performed again until its revival in Berlin in 1829 by Mendelssohn, which marked a renaissance of Bach’s sacred vocal music. 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. FOR MY MONEY, the best late-baroque opera of all was not written for the stage, not even close.Bach’s “St. 5th recording Richter, recorded at Herkulessaal, 2001 Grammy Award for "Best Choral Performance", 2001. also on DVD, filmed and recorded at Sint-Joriskerk, "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 1 / Complete Recordings 1900-1949", "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 2 / Complete Recordings 1950-1959", "Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) / St Matthew Passion", "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 3 / Complete Recordings 1960-1969", "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 4 / Complete Recordings 1970-1979", "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 5 / Complete Recordings 1980-1989", "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 6 / Complete Recordings 1990-1999", "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 8 / Complete Recordings 2000-2009", "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 9 / Complete Recordings 2010-2019", Matthäuspassion, BWV 244 (Bach, Johann Sebastian), International Music Score Library Project, Matthäuspassion, BWV 244b (Bach, Johann Sebastian (early edition), Side-by-side arrangement of the original text and an English translation, Masses, magnificat, passions and oratorios, List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St_Matthew_Passion_discography&oldid=991122481, Discographies of compositions by J. S. Bach, Articles with International Music Score Library Project links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Large choirs (red background): Bach (choir dedicated to Bach's music, founded in the mid of the 20th century), Boys (choir of all male voices), Radio (choir of a broadcaster), Symphony (choir related to a symphony orchestra), Medium-size choirs, such as Chamber choir, Chorale (choir dedicated mostly to church music), Madrigal, One voice per part (green background): OVPP or OVPP+R (with ripienists reinforcing the soloists in some chorale movements), Large orchestras (red background): Large (unspecified), Bach (orchestra dedicated to Bach's music, founded in the mid of the 20th century), Radio (symphony orchestra of a broadcaster), Opera, Symphony, Orchestra on period instruments (green background), Boys' Choir of Robert-Mayer-School of Heilbronn, Coro di Voci Bianche dell'Oratorio dell'Immacolata di Bergamo, Boys' voices of the Staats- und Domchor, Berlin, This page was last edited on 28 November 2020, at 11:08. 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. A: Loads. Louis Spohr He began earning his own living at fifteen as a chorister and violinist in a court orchestra, and later became a church organist. What concern, if any, will pick up all of the wonderful recordings now immured in the Vanguard vaults? The first OVPP recording appeared in 2003, conducted by Paul McCreesh. The best recordings of Simon Rattle and the … Masaaki Suzuki on returning to Bach's St Matthew Passion Thursday, February 13, 2020 The Director of Bach Collegium Japan has made a second recording for BIS of the great work. No orchestra has a greater pedigree in Bach-performance than the Leipzig Gewandhaus and, since becoming its Music Director, Riccardo Chailly has proved an enthusiastic advocate of the music of his illustrious predecessor. Beginning in the late 1960s, historically informed performances paved the way for recordings with smaller groups, boys choirs and ensembles playing period instruments, taken to an extreme in recordings using only one voice on a vocal part. Their “Historically Most Informed” St. John Passion is a favorite. At the other end of the scale, the venue for Otto Klemperer’s grand affair must have been filled to the rafters with musicians! Paul McCreesh has just eight singers – one voice per part – and while this may be too lightweight for some, the detail achieved is nevertheless inspiring. Sung in English. Serge Koussevitzky conducted a performance on Good Friday 1937, sung in English. For some three and a half hours, it tells the story of … He is betrayed, tried, crucified and buried. 10, 12, 19, and 29: Bruno Walter: The Westminster Choir & Junior Choirs of the Pius X of Liturgical Music / New York Philharmonic Orchestra ... St Matthew Passion is his most extended work and is supremely rewarding to study, rehearse and perform. Image: ©️Marco Borggreve. Two completely different approaches: The Traditionalist (John Eliot Gardiner) To say that Gardiner knows his Bach would be an enormous understatement. This monumental St Matthew Passion is hailed as the greatest setting of the Passion story in western music, but surprisingly it was not until almost 100 years after its premiere that Bach’s music got the recognition it deserved. 7pm - 8pm, Symphony No.6 in G major Opus 116 (2) Critics around the world agreed. Find out more about the best versions, and listen and download your favourites. I have been, on the other hand, listening to St. Matthew passion by JE Gardiner. Bach: St. Matthew Passion (Part I) Bach: Matthaeus Passion (Part One) Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 - Part One Only; abridges Nos. Omits Nos. 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. This 90-year old couple play Bach together and it will, J.S. J.S. 22. 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. Bach have? 1: No. Buy Bach : St Matthew Passion by Bach, Johann Sebastian, Gardiner, Sir John Eliot, London Oratory Junior Choir, Monteverdi Choir, Rolfe Johnson, Anthony, Schmidt, Andreas, Bonney, Barbara, Monoyios, Ann from Amazon's Classical Music Store. 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. December 14, 2020 by Jens F. Laurson. Their Matthew Passion made my own “Almost List” of Best Recordings in 2008. 78 tracks (223:35). Recordings > BACH: ST MATTHEW PASSION; BACH: ST MATTHEW PASSION. Download 'Symphony No.6 in G major Opus 116 (2)' on iTunes. The work comprises two choruses, two orchestras (each with continuo organ) and a group of soloists, including Christ and the Evangelist. For their theme, they took the story as told by St Matthew … Recorded live at Pisa Cathedral in 2016, this recording of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, is of a piece with the touring Bach Cantata Pilgrimage recordings released in the early 2000s: it is rich yet lively, sung with precision yet a total sense of commitment in the moment. But that’s where you’d be mistaken. Find out more about the best versions, and listen and download your favourites. The table begins with the recording conducted by Willem Mengelberg in 1939. 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. Listen free to Otto Klemperer – Bach: St.Matthew Passion (St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, Pt. He was born in 1685 in Eisenach, Germany, the same year as Handel, though the two never met, because Handel spent most of his adult life in London. Scholl blends beautifully with the Collegium Vocale and with Ian Bostridge’s narration displaying impeccable tonal quality, this recording doesn’t disappoint. The Evangelist (one of the most important figures in the passion) is Anthony Rolfe-Johnson and he is just magnificent. This 2019 recording marks 20 years for that recording, with the complete sacred and secular cantatas behind them, not to mention numerous recordings of other … Every year for Good Friday Vespers, a Passion would be performed in one of Leipzig’s two principal (Lutheran) churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. Browse: Search results for: 'bach st matthew passion' Skip search recommendations. Of Bach's two passion settings, it's the later St Matthew one that has historically scooped the lion’s share of performances and general praise. And we’re back! 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. Sung in English, and the translation was done by Troutbeck & Johnson. Register now to continue reading Thank you for visiting Gramophone and making use of our archive of more than 50,000 expert reviews, features, awards and blog articles. Notable recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion (Matthäus … King’s College presents a new account of one of sacred music’s greatest masterpieces, the Bach St Matthew Passion, performed with the Academy of Ancient Music. These performances would … Smooth Classics at Seven with John Brunning Today on the podcast we sit down. Works. 1: No. The broad tempi taken in the opening chorus, ‘Kommt, ihr Töchter’, set the scene for a performance of great intensity. The St. Matthew Passion was one of the first recordings the Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki made for BIS in 1999, with only a handful of volumes of the complete Cantatas under their belts. By Scott MacClelland. Bach's oratorio The St. Matthew Passion has been called the Mount Everest of Western classical music. King’s College presents a new account of one of s acred music ’s greatest masterpieces, the Bach St Matthew Passion, recorded before Sir Stephen Cleobury’s untimely death on 22 November 2019. Here’s, Bach: Compositions, children, biography and more facts, New releases: Vladimir Ashkenazy plays Bach and Maxim, New Releases: Bach with Zhu Xiao-Mei and Emmanuel Despax, New releases: 'Bach Stories' and Mozart with the LSO Wind, Smooth Classics at Seven with John Brunning, Download 'Symphony No.6 in G major Opus 116 (2)' on iTunes, Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s tempi may be brisk at times, but his is a refreshing and moving reading. 2, Recitative "Da Jesus diese Rede vollendet hatte" (Evangelist, Jesus) and more). He was, by now, working as a … Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Mark Padmore’s Evangelist is thrilling and Deborah York matches her more famous colleague Magdalena Kožená all the way. 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. Notable recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion (Matthäus-Passion) are shown below in a sortable table. Johann Sebastian Bach is widely regarded the greatest musical genius of all time. Showing 1 - 10 of 129 results Longing For Sweet Death: St. Gallen’s Bach, Vol. In 1707 he married a second cousin, Maria Barbara, and had seven children. Following its premiere, it received two subsequent performances in 1736 and the 1740s. 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. By contrast, other recordings are more agile. 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) In 1970 the first HIP recording appeared, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. 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. 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”. 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. On some of these recordings, the solo singer is reinforced in choral movements with a larger orchestra by a ripieno singer (OVPP+R). King’s College presents a new account of one of s acred music ’s greatest masterpieces, the Bach St Matthew Passion, recorded before Sir Stephen Cleobury’s untimely death on 22 November 2019. Bach came from a family of prominent musicians. 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. The St Matthew Passion tells the story of the last days of Jesus. The lyrics were compiled by Picander (the pseudonym of Christian Friedrich Henrici), probably in close consultation with Bach himself. From the late 1960s, historically informed performances (HIP) tried to adhere more to the sounds of the composer's lifetime, who typically wrote for boys choirs and for comparatively small orchestras of Baroque instruments, often now called "period instruments". What's the best recording of Bach's monumental choral work, the St Matthew Passion? The work was first recorded by symphonic choirs and orchestras. 1, Chorus "Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen" (Chorus 1, Chorus 2), St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, Pt. What's the best recording of Bach's monumental choral work, the St Matthew Passion? The great Klemperer recording for EMI. 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. If we could sit each day and listen to each of the dozens of recordings of this monumental work, than no one would begrudge spending the 196 minutes it … The information lists for one recording typically: Revised by Elgar & Atkins. 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. These are some of my best f. Can’t even wait till all my friends get here! The sortable listing is taken mostly from the selection provided by Aryeh Oron on the Bach-Cantatas website. The St. Matthew is for me the best versions, and listen and download your.... 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