Passion of all time / Herreweghe - NOSPR

A day prior to Palm Sunday, at NOSPR, we are going to hear a work to which few pieces in the history of music can compare. The performance will be led by Philippe Herreweghe – the conductor who appeared in Katowice in 2018 with John’s Passion, five years older. The Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 premiered in Leipzig on Good Friday 1729. The composition, monumental in its size, consists of 24 scenes depicting the Last Supper, the prayer in Gethsemane, Jesus’ arrest, trial, crossing, and burial. Bach compiled the text mostly from St Matthew’s Gospel, Lent chorales, and madrigal verses added by Picander. The plot, advanced by the Evangelist’s recitatives, is stopped by arias and chorales – this is time for both pious contemplation and following the multiple ornaments in turns of the musical rhetoric. Bach illustrates the events meticulously – from the opening choral Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen (unsettling pulse of the instruments, the crowd’s shouting commentary – by two choirs) to the final Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder (ceremonial character emphasised with a polonaise rhythm). Not only did the composer precisely reflect the contents, but he also added a personal testimony of trust and hope. Although St Matthew’s Passion is subtle and does not contain multiple dramatic elements, it is characterised by a great emotional range. It is one of the pieces which might be remembered for the rest of one’s life, even after only one listen. This makes it worthwhile to care for a proper performance.

Piotr Mika

Concert duration (intermission included): approximately 180 minutes