Bach: Mendelssohn 1841 Leipzig Matthäus-Passion [Original recording reissued]

Johann Sebastian Bach (Artist), Christoph Spering (Artist), Chorus Musicus Köln (Artist), Das Neue Orchester (Artist), Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 11, 2000)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Opus 111
• ASIN: B00004SDCN
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,119 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #51 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Passions

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Kommt, Ihr Tochter, Helft Mir Klagen - Chor Musicus

2. Da Jesus Diese Rede Vollendet Hatte

3. Herzliebster Jesu, Was Hast Du Verbrochen - Chor Musicus

4. Da Versammelten Sich Die Hohenpriester

5. Du Lieber Hailand Du - Angela Kazimierczuk

6. Buss Und Reu - Alison Browner

7. Da Ging Der Zwolfen Einer

8. Blute Nur, Du Liebes Herz - Angela Kazimierczuk

9. Aber Am Ersten Tage Der Sussen Brot

10. Ich Bin's, Ich Sollte Bussen - Chor Musicus

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Ach Nun Ist Mein Jesus Hin - Alison Browner/Chor Musicus

2. Die Aber Jesum Gegriffen Hatten

3. Zuletzt Traten Hinzu

4. Und Der Hohe Priester Stand Auf

5. Wer Hat Dich So Geschlagen - Chor Musicus

6. Petrus Aber Sass Draussen Im Palast

7. Erbarme Dich - Angela Kazimierczuk

8. Des Morgens Aber Hielten Alle Hohenpriester

9. Gebt Mir Meinen Jesum Wieder - Franz-Josef Selig

10. Sie Hielten Aber Einen Rat

See all 31 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Felix Mendelssohn's celebrated 1829 revival of the St. Matthew Passion lives on in legend as the starting point of the rediscovery of Bach's music. Mendelssohn performed the work again in 1841 in Bach's own church in Leipzig; the score and performing parts from that occasion have survived, so it's possible to revive Mendelssohn's revival fairly accurately. Conductor Christoph Spering, Chorus Musicus, and Das Neue Orchester (playing 19th-century period instruments) have done just that--with fascinating results. Mendelssohn felt that he was being as scrupulously faithful to Bach's original as possible, but the changes are numerous and striking: Clarinets are used in place of oboes d'amore and da caccia (which were obsolete by Mendelssohn's day); the continuo accompanying the Evangelist's recitative is played by two cellos and a double-bass; several of the Evangelist's higher passages are taken down an octave (so as to make the ones that remain high stand out all the more). More notably, several arias are omitted, including "Ich will dir mein Herze schenken," "Komm, süsses Kreuz," and "Sehet, Jesus hat die Hand"; several more, including "Mache dich, mein Herze, rein," are shortened; "Erbarme dich" is given to the soprano soloist rather than the alto. Mendelssohn felt these changes were necessary to make the St. Matthew effective for his audience; certainly he didn't do the wholesale reorchestration that, for example, Mozart did with Handel's Messiah, but Mendelssohn's St. Matthew Passion feels--especially in this fine performance--very different from the Bach we hear from such modern-day Baroque instrument specialists as the Bach Collegium Japan (let alone the single-voice camp). Vive la différence! --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Alternative St. Matthew Passion, May 30, 2001

By 

"kek5" (Westerville, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bach: Mendelssohn 1841 Leipzig Matthäus-Passion (Audio CD)

For those with an open mind about Bach and a love of the St. Matthew Passion comes a must-own version of Mendelssohn's 1841 version...a version with a difference, to put it mildly. To meet the requirements of his time (and audience) Mendelssohn made substantial, but well-judged, cuts of both arias and recitatives that lowers the performance time to just under 2 hours 15 minutes. And while there is an certain amount of re-orchestration, it is discreet and definately in furtherance of the storyline, with both drama and intimacy heightened at the appropriate points in the Passion. But enough about all that...if you're anything other than a fanatical purist, none of this will bother you once you actually hear this performance.

Of the 13 versions of the St. Matthew Passion I own, this is by far the best engineered and recorded. The sound is simply stunning...rich, full-bodied and yet detailed and absolutely crystal-clear. Beyond that, this may be the best sung St. Matthew Passion I have ever heard. Each of the soloists is outstanding (which, given the quality of the sound, is fortunate). The choral work is not quite up to the standard of the soloist, but it too is quite good. Christoph Spering keeps things moving along quite well, and the instrumental playing is excellent.

If you love this Passion, do NOT pass this version by.