Bach: St. John Passion

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Benjamin Britten (Conductor), Philip Ledger (Performer), English Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra), Timothy Farrell (Performer), Adrian Thompson (Performer), Alfreda Hodgson (Performer), Gwynne Howell (Performer), Heather Harper (Performer), Jenny Hill (Performer), John Shirley-Quirk (Performer), John Tobin (Performer), Peter Pears (Performer), Robert Tear (Performer), Russell Burgess (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Philip Ledger, Timothy Farrell, Adrian Thompson, Alfreda Hodgson, Gwynne Howell, et al.
• Orchestra: English Chamber Orchestra
• Conductor: Benjamin Britten
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
• Audio CD (June 13, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B00000425Q
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,532 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #64 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Passions

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Classical Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 13-JUN-1995

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SUBLIME, March 11, 2001

By 

MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bach: St. John Passion (Audio CD)

I resisted buying and then listening to this version of one of my favorite pieces of choral music. Why? Firstly, I already own 2 other fine versions and I thought that a translation into English from German would distort what Bach had wanted. I was wrong: if anything, the English language helped me get "into" the text more...and understand, perhaps, a bit more of what Bach wanted us to feel while listening. I also do not usually like the sound of a boychoir. Bach had written the work for boychoir, but most recordings (and live performances) use an adult female choir. In this recording, conductor Benjamin Britten chose to use the Wandsworth School Boys' Choir and they are exemplary: their voices never get into that whiny trebel we are used to hearing and their enunciation of the English language is beyond reproach. All of the soloists employed are stars in their own right and many of them had worked together with and for Britten before this recording. Peter Pears, of course, was Britten's partner/muse/lover and he is superb as "Evangelist." If you have ever heard Pears sing, you know that his quality is one that cannot be compared with anyone else's. He is a singular artist. Britten has melded this entire, difficult, gorgeous work of Bach's into a very moving experience. The sound on this double CD set, recorded almost 30 years ago, is bright and full and rich. Do yourself a favor and buy this sublime music in this wonderful performance. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Passion for English., August 17, 2000

By 

"quia-nihil-sum" (Inverness,Scotland.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bach: St. John Passion (Audio CD)

Ideally Bach's wonderful St.John Passion should be heard in the original German in order to fully appreciate the ideal marriage of text and music which makes Bach such a paragon of excellence amongst composers.There are some excellent versions available,and if I could gently push you in the direction of say Gardiner or Suzuki,then I would be satisfied that I've accomplished my good deed for the day.

However,sometimes it's nice to skip the language barrier and indulge yourself in a direct channel of communication via your own mother tongue.To that end,this 1971 performance under the sure-footed guidance of the esteemed composer Benjamin Britten is the best possible way to approach the marvels of the St.John without wrestling with translations as you go.

The recording is for the most part excellent,and is ideally full-bodied and intimate.There are a few thumps and bumps in the long opening chorale,"Sire,Lord and Master",but I don't feel this is too much of a distraction because of the panoply of beauty that awaits afterwards.

The all-important linking role of the Evangelist is given to Peter Pears,and no more sensitive interpreter of that crucial role will you find on record,I feel.He really does convey every emotional nuance of his recitatives quite brilliantly,and if you want a good example of his superb word-painting,just listen to the way he wrings all the heart-breaking tragedy of Peter's denial of Jesus out of just two words,"...wept bitterly",in No.18.Quite marvellous!

The choral element is given to the amazingly assured Wandsworth School Boy's choir under the direction of Russell Burgess,and it's hard to believe that they are (or were rather)just children.Many adult choirs would be hard-pressed to match their incredibly sensitive awareness of the emotion implicit in their chorales.Whatever these boys behaviour was like before or after this performance they were surely Angels on that day of the recording.From the lovely,"O generous love",No.7,to the famous and utterly sublime "Farewell,O weary broken body", their combined performance is a feast for the ears and balm for the heart.

The soloists I cannot praise highly enough.Perfectly matched as a quartet,and individually they are absolutely astonishing in their virtuosity.Perhaps the biggest bouquet should go to the soprano Heather Harper who is quite outstanding in,"I'll follow thee also", and "With torrents of weeping...".Quite honestly it's worth buying the disc for her performance of these two arias alone!

Yet who would miss hearing the lovely contralto Alfreda Hodgson in her beautiful rendition of "To release me from this prison".Extraordinarily moving,and another gem amongst all the other treasures on this disc.

The tenor Robert Tear needs no qualification from this humble reviewer.Everything he has done in his long career has been executed with consummate mastery of his craft,and his work on this particular recording is no exception.He is quite wonderful in conveying the bitter agony of the aftermath of Peter's denial in his aria,"Ah! take flight",and we REALLY "climb the grey hills in fearful desperation" with him,as we experience at first hand the desperate enormity of what the apostle has just done.

The Bass John Shirley-Quirk is a name known and loved by those who adore choral music,and he is the final member in this "dream-team" of soloists.In the St.John passion the bass arias are suffused with music of quite magical loveliness,and thank goodness they are in such a safe pair of hands here.One of the most heart-stoppingly gorgeous moments in the entire work is the introduction to,"Look yonder,O my soul".My respect for the English Chamber Orchestra is boundless after the way they so tenderly pave the way for J S-Q's vocal entry here.

To conclude then:you are going to have to make room for two St.John Passion's in your collection.First and foremost you must go to the German motherlode to experience this masterpiece as the composer originally intended.But for a performance that will really hit you where you live,and open a direct line into the heart and soul of a wonder upon the Earth you simply HAVE to buy this lovely,lovely record.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Great 'English' Passion, August 15, 2000

By 

Benjamin Bates (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bach: St. John Passion (Audio CD)

Conductor-Composer Benjamin Britten and Imogen Holst took 15 years to mold this Bach Passion into a piece of reverence in Baroque music with an accurate and sublime English text. Britten as the conductor in this 1971 recording summons the brilliance of his cast, the Wandsworth Boy Choir, and the English Chamber Orchestra. This English version without a doubt rivals any of the German versions recorded with its regard for the technicality and grandeur of St. John's Passion.