Composed nearly 300 years ago, Bach’s St Matthew Passion still leaves few listeners unmoved. Bach specialist John Butt conducts the immortal masterpiece.
About this concert
The Concertgebouw Orchestra’s annual Passion performance is one of the longest-running concert traditions in the world. In 1899, the orchestra’s then chief conductor Willem Mengelberg introduced the annual performance of Bach’s powerful St Matthew Passion around Easter. Later, the orchestra alternated the Passion story according to St Matthew with Bach’s equally brilliant St John Passion, and more recently also with Passions by other composers. But the St Matthew is still number one in the Netherlands, having topped the favourites lists of classical music lovers for decades.
Bach composed the Passion nearly 300 years ago in such an emotional and compelling way that it leaves few listeners unmoved. The British conductor, harpsichordist, organist and musicologist John Butt is one of the pre-eminent Bach specialists to emerge in recent years. It’s high time he came to share his vision of this immortal masterpiece with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.
The Concertgebouw Orchestra’s annual Passion performance is one of the longest-running concert traditions in the world.