The concert choir presents Bach with movement and a new perspective
With his St. Matthew Passion, Johann Sebastian Bach created one of the most important works in music history. This monumental setting of the Passion narrative based on the Gospel of Matthew combines biblical storytelling, chorales, arias, and large-scale double-choral movements into a work of extraordinary musical and spiritual depth.
Between narrative clarity and emotional depth unfolds a multifaceted work that addresses suffering, guilt, compassion, and hope in equal measure. The chorales give voice to the community, while the arias open up individual inner reflections, and the dramatic choral movements powerfully intensify the events.
In the Darmstadt Concert Choir's performance, the music is enhanced by the deliberate integration of movement. Choir and soloists shape selected passages through movement, incorporating the space into the performance. The movements follow the musical structure and reinforce its message, while preserving the work's concertante character. The music, performed with great feeling by the Darmstadt Court Orchestra on historical instruments in period tuning, is thus not only audible but also made visible in its inner essence.
An interesting aspect of the interpretation lies on the figure of Judas. His relationship with Jesus, characterized by closeness and friendship, and the betrayal he nevertheless commits, are among the central points of tension in the Passion story. This inner turmoil is brought more sharply into focus and opens up an additional, deeply human perspective on the familiar narrative.
The artistic director of the concert choir, Wolfgang Seeliger, describes the approach as follows: “Bach’s music already contains all the drama within it. Through the conscious use of movement, we try to make this inner tension visible – not as an illustration, but as a deepening of the musical expression. The figure of Judas, in particular, raises questions that directly affect us even today.”
This performance invites us to experience Bach's St. Matthew Passion anew: as a timeless work of great musical power that poses existential questions and has lost none of its urgency.
(PR)
Performers: Ted Black (Evangelist), David Pichlmaier (Jesus), Jana Baumeister (Soprano), Almira Elmadfa (Alto), Dmitry Ivanchey (Tenor), Filippo Turkheimer (Baritone), Marcel Brunner (Bass), Darmstadt Concert Choir, Darmstadt Court Orchestra
