Johann Sebastian Bach was an outstanding organist - his path could easily have led him to the opera stage.
However, Bach chose a different career: from organist in Arnstadt and Mühlhausen to court appointments in Weimar and Köthen and the Thomaskantorat in Leipzig. There he was responsible for the musical proclamation of the Scriptures in the main churches.
The St. Matthew Passion was composed during this time in Leipzig - a work whose musical demands went far beyond what was expected.
With an impressive structure, carefully chosen keys, artfully placed choruses and profound expression, Bach created a cohesive masterpiece that initially met with a muted response at its premiere in 1729.
It was not until Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy brought the Passion to new prominence a century later in the Berlin Singakademie. Since then, it has been regarded as the pinnacle of Western music - beyond all denominations.
Soloists:
Reginaldo Pinheiro, Evangelist
Christopher Jähnig, Christus
Julia Danz, soprano
Henriette Gödde, alto
Michael Nowak, tenor
Lars Conrad, bass
Choirs:
Konzertchor Lippstadt
Konzertchor des Städt. Hamm Music Society
Orchestra: N.N.
Conductor: Burkhard A. Schmitt