Osterfestival Tirol 2022 – Bach Matthäus Passion 2022

Have mercy

Bach wrote his St Matthew Passion as cantor in Leipzig. His pietistic contemporaries had already urged him not to write too theatrically when he took up his post. His great three-hour Passion (première 1727) with double choir and orchestra does not adhere to this guideline. It describes the Passion of Jesus according to Matthew and - in the form of "interpolations" with texts by the poet Picander - man in all his vulnerability: pain, betrayal, forgiveness, love, compassion and mercy. It is hard to imagine that the most important composition of the Passion season for us today was forgotten after its third performance. It is thanks to Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy that it was revived in Berlin in 1829.

Choir and Orchestra of the Collegium Vocale Gent

Philippe Herreweghe is one of the most important Bach interpreters of our time. In his work with the Passions, Herreweghe always finds new approaches.