programme
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) St. John Passion, BWV 245
performers
Cappella Amsterdam
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra
René Jacobs conductor
Werner Güra evangelist
Yannick Debus Christ
Birgitte Christensen soprano
Helena Rasker alto
Matthias Winckhler baritone
Mark Milhofer tenor
background
In this season, Cappella Amsterdam, together with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, will interpret the Passion period with Bach’s St. John Passion, conducted by René Jacobs. This successful Belgian conductor, singer and baroque specialist was once one of the first countertenors in the Netherlands to sing the alto arias in the St. Matthew Passion before an audience.
Bach completed his St. John Passion a few years before his St. Matthew Passion. He wrote this masterpiece for his first Good Friday as cantor in Leipzig in 1724. The choir plays the role of the people who shout, scream, and curse. The unbearable popular fury culminates like a courtroom drama with the inevitable condemnation of Jesus to crucifixion. Along with his St. Matthew Passion, Bach’s St. John Passion is among the most beloved passion music.
Béni Csillag (artistic leader and choir director of Consensus Vocalis) is the chorus master for this concert series.
Photo: René Jacobs, Molina Visuals
In short, "as good a masterpiece as the Matthäus," said Flemish baroque specialist/conductor René Jacobs. This year he leads one of Holland's finest chamber choirs, Cappella Amsterdam, and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra.
