(St John Passion)
No listener can be left unmoved by the bleak magnificence of the introductory chorus “Herr, unser Herrscher” (Lord, thou our master), set to the text of Psalm 8. Throbbing bass notes, streams of blood and violent blows in the middle voices as well as incessant friction in the mercilessly descending woodwinds create a soundscape that goes beyond subjective suffering and reveals a horizon of universal significance. In what is perhaps the darkest setting of devotional music in history, the composer inimitably captures the inextricable nature of death and glorification of the Saviour.
The 14th of June 2022 marked a grand day in the 16-year history of the J. S. Bach Foundation: conducted by Rudolf Lutz, our Choir and Orchestra performed Bach’s St John Passion live in the St Thomas church in Leipzig. What an extraordinary and memorable concert! The performance was broadcast live by Deutsche Welle and we are happy to make the video recording available here on Bachipedia.
The artists named on this page performed in our CD recording of the St John Passion. The artists in the St John Passion concert in Leipzig are named in the video.