GRANDS CONCERTS: COLLEGIUM VOCALE GENT / JOHANNES-PASSION
The story of the Passion in the Gospel of St John differs from that told by the other three Evangelists – in John’s account, the emphasis is on the divine origin of Jesus, who does not become as human here as in the other Gospels. He is not a lamb led to the slaughter, but the Lord and Ruler who knows no fear. He knows everything that will happen, including that death on the cross will not be the end – he knows that he will defeat death.
This thought is profoundly reflected in the sounds and words of the St John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach, which premiered at the Church of St Nicholas in Leipzig on Good Friday in 1724. Our guide to the musical masterpiece and the story full of symbolism is the Evangelist, soloist who communicates the biblical text in a highly evocative way: from the hushed but tense first scenes of the Passion, to the moving, almost affective scenes of judgment and crucifixion. In addition, Bach supplemented the Gospel message with passion poetry by Barthold Heinrich Brockes, Christian Heinrich Postel or Christian Weise, as well as the words of traditional church hymns, thus creating a mystical and deeply moving story of the Passion, but above all of Christ’s triumph over sin and death.
The tradition of reading the Passion and performing its musical elaborations during Holy Week takes on a new dimension when experienced at the highest artistic level guaranteed by Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent. The long-year experience of the conductor and ensemble, already hailed as “Bach specialists” a few decades ago, allow listeners to fully feel the drama of the story and rediscover the composer’s genius. Under Herreweghe’s baton, the choral parts sound brilliant, both in the scenes illustrating Christ’s passion and in the striking chorales. Their intense emotions are wonderfully contrasted with reflective, even contemplative arias, which are absolutely unparalleled here. The musical image of Christ’s passion and death, in which the fervent piety of the Leipzig cantor is so clearly reflected, becomes a source of deep and poignant experience when performed by Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent.
Performers:
Evangelist: Reinoud Van Mechelen – tenor
Jesus: Krešimir Stražanac – bass
Pilatus: Philipp Kaven – baritone
Grace Davidson – soprano
Alex Potter – countertenor
Guy Cutting – tenor
Johannes Kammler – bass
Collegium Vocale Gent
Philippe Herreweghe – conductor
Programme:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Johannes-Passion BWV 245
Organizers
