The monumental St John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the masterpieces of Baroque music. The dramatic composition is also the crowning achievement of Christian sacred music. This evening it will be performed by distinguished soloists and musicians of Wrocław Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Marc Minkowski – one of the greatest conductors of our time, valued especially for his interpretations of the legacy of the masters of the Baroque and Classical eras.
Bach wrote the St John Passion during the Leipzig period, when he held the position of cantor at the Church of St Thomas. It was not without a reason that the creative process took place there, because the work was created at the special request of the city councillors. The composer made two chapters of the Gospel of St John the foundation of the Passion – from the arrest of Jesus to the placing of his body in the sepulchre after the crucifixion. He also enriched the moving biblical text with fragments from the Gospel of St Matthew. Bach divided the work into two parts – originally separated by a homily. The leading roles in its course belong to the Evangelist, Peter, Jesus, and Pilate, although it is also worth emphasising the significant voice of the Chorus commenting on the scenes related to the last moments of Christ’s life. Their musical setting delights on the one hand with its noble simplicity, and on the other with the richness of the spiritual depth deriving from the masterfully constructed vocal and instrumental parts.
The overall mood of the St John Passion is suggested right away by the introductory, perfectly balanced, yet no less moving cry of the choir: Herr, unser Herrscher (Lord, our Master). The numerous dialogues and statements of the participants, skilfully woven into the whole, add theatrical passion and dynamics to the narrative. The first performance of the composition took place on Good Friday, 7 April 1724, in the Church of St Nicholas in Leipzig. Over three hundred years later, the St John Passion remains one of those extraordinary and reflective works that, despite the passage of time, has lost none of its unquestionable cultural value.
