What is the secret to St John Passion's enduring relevance?

OAE Leader Margaret Faultless talks about how and why St John Passion continues to be relevant to us today. She describes the context in which Bach wrote his masterpiece and ponders what Bach might think of our interpretation today.

This video was made during the break of our recording of Bach's St John Passion. The Passion is not simply a beautiful piece of music, but a reflection on suffering and an attempt to make sense of it. Since our lives have been disrupted by the pandemic, the Passion now speaks to us from a fresh understanding of suffering and ignites in us a personal sense of compassion and empathy. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Marquee TV presents a new filmed realisation of this monumental production recorded in Battersea Arts Centre, with an all-star cast including Mark Padmore as Evangelist and Gerald Finley as Christus.

Artistic Concept and Music Director Mark Padmore
Evangelist Mark Padmore
Christus Gerald Finley
Pilate Neal Davies
Peter Jonathan Brown
Spoken word Nakhane

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[davidhynd]

Beautifully said. As a teenager I heard it said that Bach's music was "pure mathematics". I thought it was an insult. As a man now in my, ahem, not teens, and after many years of listening to Bach's superlative music, I realise that "pure mathematics" is the highest praise. His music is so pure, so precise, so complex and also achingly beautiful. I've seen examples of incomplete manuscripts where, with ten or more voices sounding, there was no indication that any one line was being completed ahead of any other by the composer. It looked like he was hearing the complete work in his head. Genius. I can listen to Mozart or Haydn while reading or being otherwise occupied. I have to stop and listen when it's Bach. It can never be just background sound. Beautiful.

[renzo]

Am I right to say that the St. John Passion is less esteemed than the St. Matthew Passion?

[shauryadiwanshukla]

I've gotta aggree, bach was probably the most genius, prolific, and talented composer, of all

[ralf-peter.schwarz]

Well, if HE would be telling anything about music nobody would care about it, because it's even more easy to glorify what he might have said than accepting an critical musical order by HIM. So it's better keep on dreaming in 21st century!