About this concert
Three hundred years ago, on 11 April 1727, Bach's St Matthew Passion was performed for the first time. After its rediscovery in the nineteenth century, with the help of the Concertgebouw Orchestra's Passion tradition, the “St Matthew” became an absolute favourite of music lovers in the Netherlands. After all, Johann Sebastian Bach set the Passion story to music in such an empathetic and compelling way that it leaves no one unmoved.
Now Leonardo García-Alarcón will be sharing his vision of Bach’s immortal masterpiece with you. The Baroque specialist made quite a stir with his 2022 Concertgebouw Orchestra debut. This is his third guest appearance with us.
The Concertgebouw Orchestra's annual Passion performance is one of the longest-running concert traditions in the world. In 1899, chief conductor Willem Mengelberg introduced the annual performance of Bach's powerful St Matthew Passion during Holy Week. Since 1975, the orchestra has alternated the Passion according to St Matthew with Bach's equally masterful St John Passion.
Bach composed the Passion in such an emotional and compelling way that it leaves few listeners unmoved.
