St Matthew Passion BWV 244 by Johann Sebastian Bach

“I have never experienced such silence or seen an audience moved in this way.”
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
The music of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) enjoyed a Renaissance during the 19th century, which was began on March 11th, 1829 with the performance of the St. Mathew Passionby Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-47) and the Berlin Singakademie. It was the first the work was ever performed outside of Leipzig. A century after this sacred oratorio premiered in Leipzig’s Thomaskirche, audiences were astounded by Bach’s creation. Few other works in the history of music have fascinated listeners and performers to the same degree. Originally composed for Vespers on Good Friday, and even longer in duration than the “St. John Passion”, it reconstructs the story of Christ’s Passion with immense musical, emotional and spiritual intensity. It is regarded today as a highpoint of Western culture. Bach’s original manuscript is considered to be one of his most beautiful. The composer preserved the historic score for posterity by embellishing it with colored inks, in which the biblical texts and musical notes were written.