Bach – St. John Passion (Gardiner)

CD1
1. No.1 Chorus: “Herr, unser Herrscher”
2. No. 2 Evangelista, Jesus, Chorus: “Jesus ging mit seinen Juengern ..” - “Jesum von Nazareth” - “Jesus spricht zu ihnen” - “Jesum von Nazareth” - “Jesus antwortete”
3. No.3 Choral: “O große Lieb, o Lieb ohn’ alle Maße”
4. No.4 Evangelist, Jesus: “Auf daß das Wort erfüllet würde”
5. No.5 Choral: “Dein Will gescheh, Herr Gott zugleich”
6. No. 6 Evangelist:” Die Schar aber”
7. No.7 Aria (Alt): “Von den Stricken meiner Sünden”
8. No.8 Evangelist: “Simon Petrus aber folgete Jesu nach”
9. No.9 Aria(Sopran): Ich folge dir gleichfalls”
10.No.10 Evangelist, Ancilla, Petrus, Jesus, Servus: “Derselbige Jünger war dem Hohenpriester bekannt”
11.No.11 Choral: “Wer hat dich so geschlagen”
12.No.12 Evangelist, Chorus, Evangelist, Petrus, Servus: ” Und Hannas sandte ihn gebunden ”
13.No.13 Aria (Tenor): “Ach mein Sinn”
14.No.14 Choral: “Petrus, der nicht denkt zurück”

Part Two

15.No.15 Choral: “Christus, der uns selig macht”
16.No.16 Evangelist, Pilatus, Chorus: ” Da führeten sie Jesum ”
17.No.17 Choral: “Ach großer König, groß zu allen Zeiten”
18.No.18 Evangelist, Pilatus, Jesus, Chorus, Evangelist: “Da sprach Pilatus zu ihnen”
19.No.19 Arioso (Baß): “Betrachte, meine Seele”
20.No.20 Aria (Tenor): ” Erwäge, wie sein blutgefärbter Rücken”

CD 2

1.No.21 Evangelist, Pilatus, Jesus, Chorus: ” Und die Kriegsknechte flochten ”
2.No.22 Choral: “Durch dein Gefängnis, Gottes Sohn”
3.No.23 Evangelist, Pilatus, Chorus: ” Die Juden aber schrieen und sprachen ”
4.No.24 Aria (Baß) - Chor: “Eilt ihr angefochtnen Seelen”
5.No.25 Evangelist, Chorus, Pilatus: ” Allda kreuzigten sie ihn ”
6.No.26 Choral: “In meines Herzens Grunde”
7.No.27 Evangelist, Chorus, Evangelist: ” Die Kriegsknechte aber ”
8.No.28 Choral: ” Er nahm alles wohl in acht”
9.No.29 Evangelist, Jesus: ” Und von Stund an ”
10.No.30 Aria (Alt): ” Es ist vollbracht ”
11.No.31 Evangelist: ” Und neigte das Haupt und verschied ”
12.No.32 Aria (baß) - Chorus: ” Mein teurer Heiland ”
13.No.33 Evangelist: ” Und siehe da ”
14.No.34 Arioso (Tenor): ” Mein Herz, indem die ganze Welt ”
15.No.35 Aria (soprano): ” Zerfließe, mein Herz ”
16.No.36 Evangelist: “Die Juden aber”
17.No.37 Choral:” O hilf, Christe, Gottes Sohn”
18.No.38 Evangelist: “Darnach bat Pilatum”
19.No.39 Chorus: “Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine”
20.No.40 Choral: “Ach Herr, laß dein lieb Engelein”

Antony Rolfe Johnson - Evangelist - Tenor
Stephen Varcoe - Jesus - Bass
Cornelius Hauptman - Pilates and bass arias
Monteverdi Choir
The English Baroque Soloists
John Elliot Gardiner – Director

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. The St John Passion has often been viewed as the cruder older sibling. Those who would agree with that analysis should get hold of these two discs. John Eliot Gardiner argues that Bach himself considered his St John setting, the longest work in his career up to that point, to be supremely important. This recording should leave no-one in any doubt as to the work's sheer beauty and power.

Few ensembles can come to Bach's St John Passion with quite the degree of performance-based insight that Gardiner and his musicians have done. Written for Good Friday in 1724, the passion was the centrepiece of Bach's year-long cycle of liturgical cantatas. Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir spent 2000 performing and recording these surrounding cantatas, before recording this disc in 2003. The result is a little slice of musical heaven. In sound, it's a masterpiece of technical precision and musical beauty. In tone, it perfectly balances the theatrical with the devotional. The English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir expertly build and release tension, their phrases shaped to sound natural, instinctive, and emotionally complete. The work's many dramatic contrasts are also brilliantly done. The chorale "Wer hat dich so geschlagen" ("Who has beaten thee thus") is sung to a degree of mournful beauty that makes hairs stand on end, whilst the baying crowd scenes are sharp and angry. Meanwhile, the soloists deliver everything that you would expect and wish for from such known Bach exponents.

Perhaps the biggest joy of the St John Passion is that, for all the ferocity and sorrow of the Good Friday story, it's a truly optimistic work, anticipating the resurrection with music suffused with light and hope. Gardiner and his band have brought this to the fore, exemplified by the gorgeous radiance with which the Monteverdi Choir perform the chorale, "In meines Herzens Grunde" ("Deep in my heart"). All in all, an interpretation to savour. ----- Charlotte Gardner, BBC Music

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