Bach,J.S. / Hallenser Madrigalisten / Virtuosi Sax St. John Passion CD

J.S. Bach composed his St John Passion during his first winter in Leipzig, in advance of the Good Friday Vespers service of 1724. It is written for an intimate ensemble (much more modest than the scoring of his later St Matthew Passion) and was originally to be performed in the Thomaskirche, being moved to the Nikolaikirche at short notice. The music is a vivid representation of Christ's Passion as told in St John's Gospel, constructed of recitatives and choruses, with commentary in reflective chorales, ariosos and arias. The music is, by nature of the story, inherently dramatic, and tells the story of Jesus' death through the words of the Evangelist (tenor), Christ (bass) and a number of smaller roles including Pilate and Peter. Few who attended the service in the Nikolaikirche can have experienced, outside of the opera house, a work on the scale of the St John Passion, one that included such a large proportion of recitative. Today it, together with the St Matthew Passion, is regarded as a masterpiece of devout Lutheran church music, but in it's day it must have sounded radical. That being said, the chorales (or "hymns") within the work were designed to involve everyone in the performance, and these would have been familiar to the congregation (Melchior Vulpius's melody, for instance) - whether or not they ended up singing them. Some of the most affective moments of the work occur in these chorales as well as in the arias, which are remarkable for their range of expression as well as their instrumentation. Take, for instance, the poignant use of the bass viol in the accompaniment of Jesus' last words on the cross in the expressive aria 'Es ist vollbracht'. A masterpiece of expression and theatricality such as the St John Passion requires a masterful interpretation; in this recording, under the baton of Ludwig G?ttler - who shot to fame as a Baroque trumpeter - the Hallenser Madrigalisten and Virtuosi Saxoniae rise to the challenge, giving a "technically accomplished and expressive" performance (Gramophone). They are joined by acclaimed tenor Christoph Genz in the role of the Evangelist and Egbert Junghanns as Jesus. Bach's Johannes Passion may be on a smaller scale than the Matth?us Passion, it is by no means less monumental or dramatic. This reissue of a Berlin Classics recording achieves with it's relatively small ensemble and choir an intimate yet powerful performance in which the drama of Christ's suffering is presented in deeply moving arias and chorales. Played on modern instruments the Virtuosi Saxoniae under Ludwig G?ttler adhere to the principles of Historically Informed Performance Practice. The soloists include Christoph Genz, Christiane Oelze and Egbert Junghanns.

1. Herr, Unser Herrscher 2. Jesus Ging Mit Seinen J?ngern 3. Jesum Von Nazareth! 4. Jesus Spricht Zu Ihnen 5. Jesum Von Nazareth! 6. Jesus Antwortete 7. O Groe Lieb 8. Auf Da Das Wort Erf?llet W?rde 9. Dein Will Gescheh, Herr Gott, Zugleich 10. Die Schar Aber Und Der Oberhauptmann 11. Von Den Stricken Meiner S?nden 12. Simon Petrus Aber Folgete Jesu Nach 13. Ich Folge Dir Gleichfalls 14. Derselbige J?nger War Dem Hohenpriester Bekannt 15. Wer Hat Dich So Geschlagen 16. Und Hannas Sandte Ihn Gebunden 17. Bist Du Nicht Seiner J?nger Einer? 18. Er Leugnete Aber 19. Ach, Mein Sinn 20. Petrus, Der Nicht Denkt Zur?ck 21. Christus, Der Uns Selig Macht 22. Da F?hreten Sie Jesum 23. W?re Dieser Nicht Ein belt?ter 24. Da Sprach Pilatus Zu Ihnen 25. Wir D?rfen Niemand T÷ten 26. Auf Da Erf?llet W?rde Das Wort Jesu 27. Ach Groer K÷nig 28. Da Sprach Pilatus Zu Ihm 29. Nicht Diesen, Sondern Barrabam! 30. Barrabas Aber War Ein M÷rder 31. Betrachte, Meine Seel 32. Erw?ge, Wie Sein Blutgef?rbter R?cken 33. Und Die Kriegsknechte Flochten 34. Sei Gegr?et, Lieber J?denk÷nig! 35. Und Gaben Ihm Backenstreiche 36. Kreuzige, Kreuzige! 37. Pilatus Sprach Zu Ihnen 38. Wir Haben Ein Gesetz 39. Da Pilatus Das Wort H÷rete 40. Durch Dein Gef?ngnis, Gottes Sohn 41. Die Juden Aber Schrieen - L?ssest Du Diesen los 42. Da Pilatus Das Wort H÷rete 43. Weg, Weg Mit Dem 44. Spricht Pilatus Zu Ihnen 45. Wir Haben Keinen K÷nig 46. Da berantwortete Er Ihn 47. Eilt, Ihr Angefochtnen Seelen 48. Allda Kreuzigten Sie Ihn 49. Schreibe Nicht. Der J?den K÷nig 50. Pilatus Antwortet 51. in Meines Herzens Grunde 52. Die Kriegsknechte Aber 53. Lasset Uns Den Nicht Zerteilen 54. Auf Da Erf?llet W?rde Die Schrift 55. Er Nahm Alles Wohl in Acht 56. Und Von Stund An 57. Es Ist Vollbracht! 58. Und Neiget Das Haupt Und Verschied 59. Mein Teurer Heiland 60. Und Siehe Da 61. Mein Herz, Indem Die Ganze Welt 62. Zerfliee, Mein Herze 63. Die Juden Aber 64. O Hilf, Christe, Gottes Sohn 65. Darnach Bat Pilatum 66. Ruht Wohl, Ihr Heiligen Gebeine 67. Ach Herr, La Dein Lieb Engelein