Bach
: St John PassionBach’s St John Passion was first performed on 7 April 1724 in St Nicholas’ Church in Leipzig and perhaps marks the moment when he established himself, beyond doubt, as the supreme Lutheran musician. Luther was convinced that profound contemplation of the sufferings of Christ in his trial and death was the only route into faith and into a clear conscience and so the passion of Christ became a central theme in the devotional art of the German Baroque. It therefore comes as no surprise to learn that Bach described his life’s goal as the creation of ‘a well-regulated church music, to the glory of God’.
Bach sets his interpretation of the story to music of intense expressive depth and enormous stylistic range. The composer does not change the text of St John’s gospel but rather he constructs his interpretation of the story around his choice of extra texts to insert and by the positioning of the breaks in the gospel narrative.
The St John Passion can be heard on many levels: as a dramatic story of universal human emotions; as a theological exposition; as a challenge to amend and improve our lives; as a masterpiece of musical craftsmanship and invention. Ultimately though, Bach’s passion setting comes across as a deeply compassionate and optimistic story, where the crucifixion is an act of redemptive love and the resurrection is awaited with certainty.