Passion 2012

Les Voix Baroques and Arion Baroque Orchestra combine their outstanding talents for this new ATMA recording of Bach’s St. John Passion under the direction of organist and conductor Alexander Weimann. This recording was made in the chapel of the Grand Séminaire in Montreal, following performances in the 2010 Bach Festival.

Gary Graden and the St. Jacobs Chamber Choir have performed the St. John Passion in the St. Jacobs Church regularly since 1990, the last 13 years together with Maria Lindal and her REbaroque ensemble. Though the St. John Passion has become something of a staple in Sweden's churches at Easter, there have been very few recordings with Swedish performers. This release documents not only the long collaboration between the St. Jacobs Chamber Choir and REbaroque, but is also the first recording of a tradition that has existed in the St. Jacobs Church for almost seven decades.

The renowned St. Thomas Boys Choir of Leipzig, which boasts J. S. Bach as a former cantor, celebrates its 800th anniversary with an extraordinary interpretation of the St. Matthew Passion. The Guardian praised how the harmonic lines interwove with a transcendence that can only be achieved through living, eating and working together. This Accentus Music production is the only audio-visual release of Bachs St. Matthew Passion, performed by the choir for which it was written, in St. Thomas Church, Leipzig, where the composer worked and is buried.

During Bach’s lifetime there were four different performances, each time with new modifications, some in response to the circumstances at the time, others influenced by which musicians and instruments he then had at his disposal. However Bach experimented to the greatest degree with the second version, dating from 1725: for instance, he used a different opening chorus (which was later to become the closing chorus of the first part of the St Matthew Passion, a work yet to be composed at this stage) and a couple of other arias near the end of the work. For the later performances he reverted to his first version from 1724, albeit with some differences in instrumentation.

In the last twenty years, Italy has given birth to some of the genies of symphonic and classical music with strong rock attitudes ! The mighty Luca TURILLI and Alex STAROPOLI, fathers of RHAPSODY OF FIRE, are the key characters of this movement, but it seems Italy is not going to give it a break right now. Cristiano FILIPPINI is the new undisputed maestro, starting from the Conservatory Diploma, he then managed to get tremendous attentions of fans and musical insiders all over the world. His debut album "The First Crusade" is proving this, being a first-page-must of the most well known italian newspapers ! An orchestral masterpiece, taking ispiration by the saga of "Conan The Barbarian", "The Lord Of The Rings" and "Troy", cleverly mixing arrangements never for granted with a really first-class creative streak !