Mendelssohn & Bach: Matthäus-Passion The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Christopher Jackson & Bach Festival Orchestra

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn):
• 1 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Chorus with Chorale "Kommt ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen" 07:28
• 2 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Da Jesus diese Rede vollendet hatte" 00:49
• 3 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Chorale. "Herzliebster Jesu" 00:53
• 4 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Da versammelten sich die Hohenpriester" 03:25
• 5 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Recitative. "Du lieber Heiland du" 00:59
• 6 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Aria. "Buß und Reu" 03:06
• 7 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Da ging hin der Zwölfen einer" 00:41
• 8 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Aria. "Blute nur" 04:16
• 9 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Aber am ersten Tage" 02:25
• 10 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Chorale. "Ich bin"s, ich sollte büßen" 00:59
• 11 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Er antwortete und sprach" 04:28
• 12 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Chorale. "Erkenne mich, mein Hüter" 01:17
• 13 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Petrus aber antwortete" 02:58
• 14 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Recitative. "O Schmerz" - "Was ist die Ursach aller dieser Plagen" 02:04
• 15 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Aria. "Ich will bei meinem Jesu wachen" - "So schlafen unsre Sünden ein" 05:52
• 16 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Und ging hin ein wenig" 02:10
• 17 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Chorale. "Was mein Gott will, das g"scheh allzeit" 01:18
• 18 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. " Und er kam und fand sie aber schlafend" 02:33
• 19 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Duet with Chorus. "So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen" - "Laßt ihn, haltet, bindet nicht!" 05:31
• 20 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Und siehe, einer aus denen, die mit Jesu waren" 02:21
• 21 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Chorus with Chorale. "O Mensch bewein dein Sünde groß" 06:29
• Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244:
• 22 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244: Aria with Chorus. "Ach, nun ist mein Jesus hin" - "Wo ist denn dein Freund hingegangen" 03:59
• Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn):
• 23 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. " Die aber Jesum gegriffen hatten" 03:42
• 24 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Chorale. "Wer hat dich so geschlagen" 01:03
• 25 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Petrus aber sass draussen im Palast" 02:29
• 26 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Aria. "Erbarme dich" 05:39
• 27 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. " Des Morgens aber hielten alle Hohepriester" 01:47
• 28 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Aria. "Gebt mir meinen Jesum wieder" 02:54
• 29 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Sie hielten aber einen Rat" 02:43
• 30 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Recitative. "Er hat uns allen wohlgetan" 01:14
• 31 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Aria. "Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben 04:30
• 32 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Sie schrieen aber noch mehr" 02:01
• 33 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Recitative. "Erbarm es Gott" 01:11
• 34 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Da nahmen die Kriegsknechte" 01:04
• 35 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Chorale. "O Haupt, voll Blut und Wunden" 01:15
• 36 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Und da sie ihn verspottet hatten" 03:23
• 37 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Recitative. "Ach Golgatha" 01:39
• 38 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Und von der sechsten Stunde" 02:36
• 39 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Chorale. "Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden" 01:26
• 40 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Und siehe da" 02:10
• 41 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Recitative. "Am Abend da es kühle war" 02:19
• 42 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Aria. "Mache dich, mein Herze, rein" 03:19
• 43 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Evangelium. "Und Joseph nahm den Leib" 02:35
• 44 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Recitative with Choir. "Nun ist der Herr zur Ruh gebracht" - "Mein Jesu, gute Nacht" 02:12
• 45 Bach: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 (1841 Version by Felix Mendelssohn): Chorus. "Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder" 05:45
• Total Runtime 02:04:57

Info for Mendelssohn & Bach: Matthäus-Passion

Fast 74 Jahre lang, vom Tod J. S. Bachs im Jahr 1750 bis zu Mendelssohns fünfzehntem Geburtstag im Jahr 1824, war die Matthäus-Passion so gut wie verschwunden. Das kostbare Geburtstagsgeschenk des jungen Mendelssohn – eine maßgefertigte Kopie der Passion – sollte die Musikgeschichte verändern, als er fünf Jahre später die erste Aufführung im neunzehnten Jahrhundert in Berlin veranstaltete.

Heute ist Bach aus der Musik nicht mehr wegzudenken, doch in den 1820er Jahren war seine Musik nur noch als Übungsbuch für Kontrapunktschüler bekannt. Nach 1829 griff Mendelssohn häufig auf Bachs Musik zurück und führte die Passion 1841 in Leipzig erneut auf. Jetzt, im Zeitalter der Romantik, mit einem symphonischen Orchester und Chor, gestaltete er sowohl die Rolle des Evangelisten als auch die der Solisten neu und verkürzte die Passion um etwa 30 Prozent der Länge.

Nach seinem Tod im Jahr 1847 lag Mendelssohns »Ausgabe« der Passion bei seinen Erben in London brach; sein Enkel vermachte sie schließlich der Bodleian Library in Oxford. Eine erste vollständige Rekonstruktion von Mendelssohns Material durch Malcolm Bruno und Caroline Ritchie erscheint im Dezember 2023 im Bärenreiter Verlag, und die erste Einspielung durch den Bach Choir of Bethlehem wird im März 2024 auf dem Label Analekta veröffentlicht.

Bach Choir of Bethlehem
Bach Festival Orchestra
Christopher Jackson, direction

The Bach Choir of Bethlehem
gave the first complete American performances of Bach’s Mass in B Minor in 1900 and Christmas Oratorio in 1901. Since its founding in 1898, the now-famous Choir has been attracting thousands of visitors from across the United States and beyond to the annual Bethlehem Bach Festival in Pennsylvania.

In 2022, Dr. Christopher Jackson became the seventh Artistic Director and Conductor of the Choir. The 90 dedicated volunteer singers of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, performing with the Bach Festival Orchestra and distinguished soloists, have received international acclaim. Programming includes 40 concerts and educational programs per year for an audience of more than 22,000. Venues have included the Herkulessaal at Munich’s Royal Residence and the Thomaskirche, Bach’s church in Leipzig, as part of the 1995 Germany tour; The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall as part of The Choir’s Centennial Celebration in 1998–2000; the BBC Proms in London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of an eight-concert tour of the United Kingdom in 2003; and Severance Hall, Cleveland, for the 75th anniversary of the Baldwin Wallace Bach Festival in 2007. In September 2011, The Bach Choir represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a 10th anniversary musical observance of 9/11 in New York City, giving concerts in Saint Paul’s Chapel and Trinity Church, Wall Street. In 2013, The Choir performed Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Strathmore in the Washington, D.C., area, and in 2014, the new opera Young Meister Bach for the 250th anniversary of the German Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The Choir has released 11 recordings on the Dorian and Analekta labels, including most recently Bach’s Cantata 21 and Handel’s Ode for Saint Cecilia’s Day (2018), A Child’s Christmas in Bethlehem (2013), and Saint John Passion (2012). The Choir has been featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today and Prairie Home Companion, Deutsche Radio, the BBC World Service, CBS Sunday Morning, and the Emmy award-winning PBS documentary on The Choir, Make a Joyful Noise. It has been recognized for its outstanding educational outreach programs (Bach at Noon, Bach to School, and interdisciplinary Family Concerts) by annual awards from the National Endowment for the Arts (2011–2020). The J.S. Bach Foundation in Switzerland named The Bach Choir of Bethlehem as the first American recipient of its annual award to a single Bach organization, recognizing The Bach Choir’s outstanding work in Bach performance and education for young people (2012). Mr. Bach Comes to Call, a film based on the acclaimed Classical Kids CD, was co-produced by The Bach Choir of Bethlehem and is distributed internationally by the Children’s Group. Our affiliated Bel Canto Youth Chorus is currently celebrating its 30th year under the direction of founder Dr. Joy Hirokawa. Both organizations are looking to increase their impact in training the next generation of choral singers.

The Mission of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem and its Bach Festival Orchestra is to perform the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and to promote and encourage appreciation of the aesthetic and spiritual value of Bach’s music, while striving for the highest standards of musical excellence. We achieve this mission by engaging our audience – locally, nationally, and internationally – through education and performance, including works by composers who influenced Bach and were influenced by him, and through the programs of our Bel Canto Youth Chorus. Together, we cultivate a lifelong passion for the choral arts.

Booklet for Mendelssohn & Bach: Matthäus-Passion