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:
• 1 No. 1, Herr, unser Herrscher 08:55
• 2 No. 2, Jesus ging mit seinen Jüngern - Jesum von Nazareth - Jesus antwortete 02:26
• 3 No. 3, O große Lieb, o Lieb ohn' alle Maße 00:55
• 4 No. 4, Auf daß das Wort erfüllet würde 01:05
• 5 No. 5, Dein Will gescheh, Herr Gott, zugleich 00:53
• 6 No. 6, Die Schar aber und der Oberhauptmann 00:40
• 7 No. 7, Von den Stricken meiner Sünden 04:35
• 8 No. 8, Simon Petrus aber folgete Jesu nach 00:12
• 9 No. 9, Ich folge dir gleichfalls mit freudigen Schritten 03:26
• 10 No. 10, Derselbige Jünger war dem Hohenpriester bekannt 03:02
• 11 No. 11, Wer hat dich so geschlagen 01:32
• 12 No. 12, Und Hannas sandte ihn gebunden - Er leugnete aber und sprach 01:58
• 13 No. 13, Ach, mein Sinn, wo willt du endlich hin 02:33
• 14 No. 14, Petrus, der nicht denkt zurück 01:08
• St. John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2:
• 15 No. 15, Christus, der uns selig macht 01:05
• 16 No. 16, Da führeten - Da sprach Pilatus - Auf daß 03:58
• 17 No. 17, Ach großer König, groß zu allen Zeiten 01:22
• 18 No. 18, Da sprach Pilatus zu ihm - Barrabas aber war ein Mörder! 01:54
• 19 No. 19, Betrachte, meine Seel 02:15
• 20 No. 20, Erwäge, wie sein blutgefärbter Rücken 07:22
• 21 No. 21, Und die Kriegsknechte flochten eine Krone von Dornen 05:26
• 22 No. 22, Durch dein Gefängnis, Gottes Sohn 01:13
• 23 No. 23, Die Jüden aber schrieen und sprachen 03:54
• 24 No. 24, Eilt, ihr angefochtnen Seelen - Wohin? 04:00
• 25 No. 25, Allda kreuzigten sie ihn - Der Jüden König - Pilatus antwortet 02:01
• 26 No. 26, In meines Herzens Grunde 01:08
• 27 No. 27, Die Kriegsknechte aber - Auf daß erfüllet würde die Schrift 03:41
• 28 No. 28, Er nahm alles wohl in acht 01:04
• 29 No. 29, Und von Stund an nahm sie der Jünger zu sich 01:22
• 30 No. 30, Es ist vollbracht 05:13
• 31 No. 31, Und neiget das Haupt und verschied 00:28
• 32 No. 32, Mein teurer Heiland - Jesu, der du warest tot 04:06
• 33 No. 33, Und siehe da, der Vorhang im Tempel zerriß 00:25
• 34 No. 34, Mein Herz, indem die ganze Welt 00:48
• 35 No. 35, Zerfließe, mein Herze 07:16
• 36 No. 36, Die Jüden aber, dieweil es der Rüsttag war 02:04
• 37 No. 37, O hilf, Christe, Gottes Sohn 00:59
• 38 No. 38, Darnach bat Pilatum Joseph von Arimathia 01:54
• 39 No. 39, Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine 07:11
• 40 No. 40, Ach Herr, laß dein lieb Engelein 02:09
• St. John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1 (1725 Version):
• 41 O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß 05:46
• 42 Himmel reiße, Welt erbebe - Jesu, deine Passion 03:53
• 43 Zerschmettert mich, ihr Felsen und ihr Hügel 04:35
• St. John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2 (1725 Version):
• 44 Ach windet euch nicht so geplagte Seelen 05:25
• 45 Christe, du Lamm Gottes 04:20
• Total Runtime 02:11:37

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)