Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245 (1749 Version) Mainz Bach Choir, Mainz Bach Orchestra & Ralf Otto

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): St. John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1:
• 1No. 1, Herr, unser Herrscher08:55
• 2No. 2, Jesus ging mit seinen Jüngern - Jesum von Nazareth - Jesus antwortete02:26
• 3No. 3, O große Lieb, o Lieb ohn' alle Maße00:55
• 4No. 4, Auf daß das Wort erfüllet würde01:05
• 5No. 5, Dein Will gescheh, Herr Gott, zugleich00:53
• 6No. 6, Die Schar aber und der Oberhauptmann00:40
• 7No. 7, Von den Stricken meiner Sünden04:35
• 8No. 8, Simon Petrus aber folgete Jesu nach00:12
• 9No. 9, Ich folge dir gleichfalls mit freudigen Schritten03:26
• 10No. 10, Derselbige Jünger war dem Hohenpriester bekannt03:02
• 11No. 11, Wer hat dich so geschlagen01:32
• 12No. 12, Und Hannas sandte ihn gebunden - Er leugnete aber und sprach01:58
• 13No. 13, Ach, mein Sinn, wo willt du endlich hin02:33
• 14No. 14, Petrus, der nicht denkt zurück01:08
• St. John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2:
• 15No. 15, Christus, der uns selig macht01:05
• 16No. 16, Da führeten - Da sprach Pilatus - Auf daß03:58
• 17No. 17, Ach großer König, groß zu allen Zeiten01:22
• 18No. 18, Da sprach Pilatus zu ihm - Barrabas aber war ein Mörder!01:54
• 19No. 19, Betrachte, meine Seel02:15
• 20No. 20, Erwäge, wie sein blutgefärbter Rücken07:22
• 21No. 21, Und die Kriegsknechte flochten eine Krone von Dornen05:26
• 22No. 22, Durch dein Gefängnis, Gottes Sohn01:13
• 23No. 23, Die Jüden aber schrieen und sprachen03:54
• 24No. 24, Eilt, ihr angefochtnen Seelen - Wohin?04:00
• 25No. 25, Allda kreuzigten sie ihn - Der Jüden König - Pilatus antwortet02:01
• 26No. 26, In meines Herzens Grunde01:08
• 27No. 27, Die Kriegsknechte aber - Auf daß erfüllet würde die Schrift03:41
• 28No. 28, Er nahm alles wohl in acht01:04
• 29No. 29, Und von Stund an nahm sie der Jünger zu sich01:22
• 30No. 30, Es ist vollbracht05:13
• 31No. 31, Und neiget das Haupt und verschied00:28
• 32No. 32, Mein teurer Heiland - Jesu, der du warest tot04:06
• 33No. 33, Und siehe da, der Vorhang im Tempel zerriß00:25
• 34No. 34, Mein Herz, indem die ganze Welt00:48
• 35No. 35, Zerfließe, mein Herze07:16
• 36No. 36, Die Jüden aber, dieweil es der Rüsttag war02:04
• 37No. 37, O hilf, Christe, Gottes Sohn00:59
• 38No. 38, Darnach bat Pilatum Joseph von Arimathia01:54
• 39No. 39, Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine07:11
• 40No. 40, Ach Herr, laß dein lieb Engelein02:09
• St. John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1 (1725 Version):
• 41O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß05:46
• 42Himmel reiße, Welt erbebe - Jesu, deine Passion03:53
• 43Zerschmettert mich, ihr Felsen und ihr Hügel04:35
• St. John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2 (1725 Version):
• 44Ach windet euch nicht so geplagte Seelen05:25
• 45Christe, du Lamm Gottes04:20
• Total Runtime02:11:37

Info for Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245 (1749 Version)

Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion is, along with the St Matthew Passion, without doubt one of the most important works he ever composed. It established a new tradition for Good Friday vespers in Leipzig, and with sublime skill Bach managed to retain a spirit of church worship while creating an almost operatic narrative that movingly depicts Christ’s trial, death, and ultimate apotheosis. Bach’s numerous revisions always demand a certain amount of scholarly decision-making, and this recording of the St John Passion uses the final 1749 version that not only draws on and reinforces the best of Bach’s original concept, but incorporates the additional movements of the 1725 version.

Julia Kleiter, soprano
Gerhild Romberger, alto
Daniel Sans, tenor
Matthias Winckhler, bass
Bachchor Mainz
Bachorchester Mainz
Ralf Otto, conductor

The Bachchor Mainz
has acquired an excellent reputation far beyond Germany, not least because of its varied choral music repertoire that ranges from the 16th century to the present. Diethard Hellmann, who was the founder and choirmaster for 30 years was succeeded by Ralf Otto in 1986. Otto has continually broadened the ensemble’s range and established an intensive exploration of historical performance practices in addition to focussing on rarely performed works and contemporary music. The choir has worked with illustrious guest conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Sylvain Cambreling, Peter Eotvos, Michael Gielen, Eliahu Inbal, Philippe Jordan, Georges Pretre, Franz Welser-Most and Peter Schreier, and is a regular guest at important festivals and concert halls at home and abroad.

Ralf Otto
For the conductor Ralf Otto, flexibility, diversity and transparency of sound have always been essential to his work with choirs and orchestras. Otto believes that understanding the compositional structure of a piece of music is an indispensable prerequisite to achieve intensely emotional expression. The conductor’s reputation is based on his gift for interpreting different musical styles, from the Renaissance through to the music of today. Since the beginning of his career, he has been a strong advocate for the performance of early music according to historically informed performance practices. In 1981, Otto founded the Frankfurter Vokalensemble, with which his main focus was contemporary music. Otto’s repertoire encompasses Monteverdi, the complete works of Bach, essential works from the Baroque period, the Viennese classics, the Romantic period, Britten, Eisler, Dallapiccola, Schoenberg and contemporary composers. Driven by his avid interest in as yet unheard music, Ralf Otto focusses on rediscovering forgotten compositions by composers such as Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, as well as on contemporary works. His numerous recordings and broadcasts are a testament to his artistic achievements.

Booklet for Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245 (1749 Version)