Passion st John Bach

Cantata Collective, an ensemble "of San Francisco early music luminaries" (San Francisco Chronicle) inaugurates a major series of J. S. Bach's choral works with a live recording of the composer's St. John Passion. With celebrated conductor Nicholas McGegan, the toast of today's new generation of vocal soloists and a three-to-a-part chamber choir, the Cantata Collective conveys the emotional intimacy and dramatic power of this monumental passion in a highly polished performance that led Early Music America to implore: "To the excellent musicians of Cantata Collective: More Bach Please!"

Peter Schreier conducts Bachs St John Passion at St Thomass Church, Leipzig: a musical ray of light in the dark days of Passiontide Famous for his performances of the Evangelist in Bachs oratorios and passions, the highly regarded Bach-expert Peter Schreier has also garnered international acclaim as a conductor. For the present project, he has taken to the podium once more. The albums live recording from St Thomass Church, Leipzig, captures a remarkable performance of Johann Sebastian Bachs St John Passion (BWV 245). Under the direction of Peter Schreier, the Sächsischer Kammerchor and the Mitteldeutsche Virtuosen present a truly gripping, profound rendition of Bachs masterpiece.

For the first time on record, listeners can experience Bach's gripping John Passion within its original liturgical context. This recording of Bach's John Passion gives listeners a refreshing outlook, shining a new light into one of the best known pieces of the choral repertoire. John Butt recreates the Good Friday Vesper liturgy of a passion performance during Bach's time at Leipzig; in addition to the Dunedin Consort performance of Bach's composition, this recording features music from an original Leipzig hymn book with works by Jacob Händl, J. H. Schein and J Crüger performed by a congregational choir and the University of Glasgow Chapel Choir.

For the first time on record, listeners can experience Bach's gripping John Passion within its original liturgical context. This recording of Bach's John Passion gives listeners a refreshing outlook, shining a new light into one of the best known pieces of the choral repertoire. John Butt recreates the Good Friday Vesper liturgy of a passion performance during Bach's time at Leipzig; in addition to the Dunedin Consort performance of Bach's composition, this recording features music from an original Leipzig hymn book with works by Jacob Händl, J. H. Schein and J Crüger performed by a congregational choir and the University of Glasgow Chapel Choir.

Jamais deux sans trois. Avec cette parution sous label Deutsche Grammophon, Sir John Eliot Gardiner propose son troisième enregistrement de la Passion selon Saint-Jean de Johann Sebastian Bach, trente-cinq ans après son premier essai pour Archiv Produktion (1985) et dix ans après sa fabuleuse version parue sur son label Soli Deo Gloria (2011). Ici, il affirme définitivement son choix. Plus encore que dans la Passion selon Saint-Matthieu, le drame reste totalement du côté du chœur.

Kölner Kammerchor (Cologne Chamber Choir; = KKC) was formed by Peter Neumann in 1970, and since winning the ‘Gran Premio Città di Arezzo’ in 1982 has made a name for itself in performances at major festivals in Germany, Italy, Belgium (Flanders Festival), England (BBC Proms), France, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Mortensen studierte an der Königlich Dänischen Musikakademie Kopenhagen bei Karen Englund (Cembalo) und Jesper Bøje Christensen (Generalbass), er setzte seine Studien bei dem Cembalisten Trevor Pinnock in London fort.

Scherchen was one of the leading conductors in the middle part of the 20th Century, especially valued for his pioneering performances of the contemporary music of his time. He was essentially self-taught as a musician, and became a violist in the Blüthner Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic when he was sixteen. In 1911 he was an assistant to Arnold Schoenberg in the preparation of Pierrot Lunaire for performance. Following its Berlin premiere, the piece was taken on a tour in which Scherchen conducted.

Kölner Kammerchor (Cologne Chamber Choir; = KKC) was formed by Peter Neumann in 1970, and since winning the ‘Gran Premio Città di Arezzo’ in 1982 has made a name for itself in performances at major festivals in Germany, Italy, Belgium (Flanders Festival), England (BBC Proms), France, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland.