notes: Matthew Passion

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There is simply no way around it: no composer has left such an extensive and qualitatively impressive oeuvre as Johann Sebastian Bach. With him, all the genres Bach tackled reached new heights. Not for nothing is his dying year 1750 usually considered the symbolic end date of the Baroque period. Within that extraordinary oeuvre, his St Matthew Passion occupies a central place: few works are so believed and loved by connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike. Bach's monumental oratorio for two choral groups, two orchestral groups and soloists reflects on the Passion of Christ in compelling melodies, aching harmonies and polyphonic perfection. Above all, the St Matthew Passion is a masterpiece of musical rhetoric, where all parameters are employed for the same purpose: to touch the listener as deeply as possible.