Musicians on Bach St John Passion BWV 245 | Netherlands Bach Society

Which passion is the best? To this conductor Jos van Veldhoven answers "I have no answer, but working on the St John, I now know it's by far the best of Bach's Passions." He performed the St John Passion with the Netherlands Bach Society for All of Bach. In this documentary, a number of musicians give their take on the St John Passion and their performance of the work.
For this performance, we selected a cast of singers under the age of 35. Apart from the leaders, all the orchestra members are also younger than 35. The concert series was preceded by a course of auditions and masterclasses.
Recorded for the project All of Bach on March 11th 2017 at the Grote Kerk, Naarden. If you want to help us complete All of Bach, please subscribe to our channel bit.ly/2vhCeFB and consider donating bit.ly/2uZuMj5.
For the complete performance of the St John Passion go to • Bach - St John Passion...
For the interview with conductor Jos van Veldhoven on leitmotifs in the St John Passion go to • Van Veldhoven on Bach ...
For the behind-the-scenes of the auditions for the St John Passion go to • Bach - St John Passion...
For the behind-the-scenes of the masterclasses for the St John Passion go to • Bach - St John Passion...
For the behind-the-scenes of the general rehearsal of the St John Passion go to • Bach - St John Passion...
For more information on BWV 245 and this production go to allofbach.com/e...
All of Bach is a project of the Netherlands Bach Society / Nederlandse Bachvereniging, offering high-quality film recordings of the works by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by the Netherlands Bach Society and her guest musicians. Visit our free online treasury for more videos and background material allofbach.com/en/. For concert dates and further information go to www.bachvereni....
Netherlands Bach Society
Jos van Veldhoven, conductor
Soloists
Raphael Höhn, evangelist (tenor)
Myriam Arbouz, soprano
Maria Valdmaa (Maid), soprano
Daniël Elgersma, alto
Marine Fribourg, alto
Gwilym Bowen, tenor
Guy Cutting (Servant), tenor
Felix Schwandtke (Jesus), bass
Drew Santini (Peter), bass
Angus Mc Phee (Pilate), bass

[@jlapierremusic]

These “Musicians on...” videos are great because they let you see the pieces from new, fresh perspectives that you never thought about before.

[@250thchannel8]

This channel is unbelivable. I deeply admire you guys.

[@altruisticphilanthropic4647]

I also always look forward to these performer/director videos. It is interesting, and often stimulating to hear other's thoughts and opinions. And, I agree wholeheartedly with Veldhoven's statement that we oldsters need to share with the youngsters on some sort of regular basis...we each profit from these energy exchanges. As for which Passion is "better"? Impossible...they are wondrously different...two different creations...we are so fortunate...we have two of Bach's "offspring" to make our lives, and ourselves better. Thank you, to the greatest, of our greatest grandfathers, JSB. // NBS, never cease...ever.

[@thomasakerberg6765]

I have literally spent thousands of hours listening to "Das Wohltemperierte Klavier"! I´m still no good!

[@lessismore4470]

I love your introductions to Bach, this one in particular.

[@PeterLaman]

Not wanting to setup Bach against himself, I actually prefer the St. John's passion. I've sung it a few times as a choir member and what strikes me most is that like no other piece it shows the pain of the event. Starting with dissonants (no so usual in the days of Bach), it immediately conveys the tension of what is going to happen. But in that pain and seeming defeat by death of the cross, in the lyrics Bach conveys the heart of the gospel: 'zeig uns durch deine Passion, daß Du (...) verherrlicht worden bist'. This makes it church music at its best: it lets us deeply experience what this bible message is really about: God saving people from their sin by taking all sin and its consequences upon Himself. That also was the belief of Bach himself that is perfectly expressed in this masterpiece. The St. Matthew Passion is more like stressing the suffering view a human viewpoint, the St. John Passion more stresses the evangelical message. Maybe that is one of the reasons the 'Matthew' is more popular among those who love the music, but not the message. Yet, I'd say the two are inseparable.

[@BHaitink]

You really nailed the point. Due to the same reason, I also prefer the Johannespassion.

[@displaychicken]

Well said

[@miladyaqo7150]

I would love nothing more than to attend a concert with those exact singers and players, would die happy indeed! Much love!

[@redbrian3655]

2:09 YES! I have always felt that same "swirling circles of string-playing" in Sweeney Todd as in the St. John. Thanks Angus!

[@jaikee9477]

It fills my heart with hope and joy to watch a young generation of singers taking over. You folks are amazing! Thank you so much, NBS!

[@stufarnham]

Wonderful discussion of a work too often overshadowed by it’s massive cousin. Not to say that one is better than the other. Listening to the Johannes Passion has always been more impactful for me, but that is a personal observation, not an artistic or technical one. Thank you.

[@ourmindonmusic]

Watching/listening here in Shenzhen, China. St. John’s Passion is one example of why Bach seems to be a prototype for so much of what has come since. He set a new foundation for others to build on.

[@walteralvarezperalta6270]

Amo a Bach, amos sus corales, amos su obras, amo a los músicos que los ejecutan... el coro final me arrancan lágrimas, es un coro muy bonito y traducido al español me tocan el corazón... a veces quisiera ya estar en el Paraíso y estar al lado de Dios. Gracias NSB, saludos desde Perú

[@SeanChay]

This Lent season, I just keep listening St. John Passion repeatedly... I don't know, I'm just so moved. As the conductor said, I can't compare which one is the best between St. John or St. Matthew. Both are equally great!

[@karlakor]

According to his obituary, Bach composed five passions during his lifetime, but we have only the St. John, the St. Matthew, and fragments of the St. Mark Passion. You have to wonder what treasures have been lost over the centuries. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the other two passions were finally found? Think of it!

[@MG-fh4ed]

Bach himself, his second wife snd his sons adored and believed that the SMP was his greatest passion and the crown of his vocal output alongside the B minor mass.

[@holgermerizalde3694]

Great work!! I`m so glad to hear all of your performances and interviews. Regards from Ecuador!

[@ethanb2554]

It's nice to see the attitudes of the musicians and of course it truly is reflected in the performances. It's not just "oh yeah, it's pretty music, Bach an all..." but they have a profound respect for the context of the music and it's meaning.

[@willekehesseling9495]

Oh wat heb ik Bach lief...een Goddelijk instrument ❣️ Ik heb in mijn jonge jaren herhaaldelijk de Johannes passion mee mogen zingen, en vooral bij het laatste coraal schoot ik altijd vol... tranen...ontroering, dankbaarheid, vreugde en liefde... En nu nog steeds tijdens deze wonderschone zeer muzikale uitvoering van het Johannes evangelie...🙏🙏🙏

[@teresaloureiro2525]

sublime !

[@lenanielsen5903]

🌿Amezing video🌿Love Bach🌿

[@no42arak-st-floor44]

Angus explains it very well! it is like a tamaltouas high sea..full of whirlpools!

[@josiah2729]

11:13! I love this quote!

[@ruperttmls7985]

Por fin! Pense que yo era el único que prefería la pasión según San Juan sobre la de San Mateo, es bueno ver que no estoy solo!

[@adrianmalang2433]

Why did you unlist this video?