Bach: Matthaus Passion BWV 244

Cleobury, Stephen;
Chance, Michael;
Kikby, Emma;
Brandenburg Consort

93941

Bach composed his St Matthew Passion in 1727. Only two of his five Passion settings have survived -- the St Matthew and the St John. The St Mark survives in a realisation after the manuscript was destroyed in a bombing raid in the Second World War. Of the other two works there is no trace. The work was premiered in Leipzig where Bach was kapellmeister at the Thomaskirche. Revised several times by the composer, it was often performed during his lifetime, but not heard outside Leipzig until 1829 when Mendelssohn performed an edited and modified version in Berlin. Today we take a dim view of the 19th century tampering with a work like the St Matthew Passion. However, Mendelssohn's pioneering work in bringing the music of Bach to a wider public was responsible for the reappraisal of the composer, and the restoration of masterpieces such as the St Matthew Passion to the repertoire. (pasja Mateuszowa)

CD x 3

Muzyka klasyczna

Brilliant Classics

13-11-2019

5028421939414