Easter

Mätthaus-Passion

La Petite Bande

17,9928,49
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Original Recording Format: DSD 64
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Sigiswald Kuijken is intimately acquainted with the St. Matthew Passion. His fascination with the work was inspired back in the 1950s by a number of traditional performances. Kuijken has performed the passion around the world with his ensemble La Petite Bande. Twenty years ago, La Petite Bande (with Kuijken as leader and Gustav Leonhardt as conductor) released its first recording of the passion. The performance had soloists, a chamber choir and an instrumental ensemble adapted to the setting. Kuijken’s views on performance practice in the piece have since evolved radically. Groundbreaking musicological work in recent decades has brought him to performing the passion with a drastically reduced ensemble and no conductor. There is no “choir” in the usual sense of the word; the choir is composed of just the soloists without additional singers. And a lone soprano replaces the boys’ choir. Opinion on this approach has been and remains divided. But Kuijken certainly had his reasons for making the changes.

To what do we owe the St. Matthew Passion even today usually being performed by immense choirs and orchestras? “For that we have to look back to the 19th century. It was then that Felix Mendelssohn became so enthralled with the music of Bach that he wanted to perform, among other things, the St. Matthew Passion. Theatricalism and grandiose forces fit perfectly with the 19th century Romantic spirit. Composers at the time did nothing so gladly as arranging Bach’s music and adapting it to their personal taste. Later, even Arnold Schoenberg ventured into Bach’s music. He arranged a number of Bach’s organ works for large orchestra; he was convinced that this was the ideal way to ensure that they would survive in the 20th century.”

Tracklist

Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.
1.
Chori- Kommt, ihr Tochter, helft mir klagen
07:27
2.
Recitativo (Evangelista Jesus)- Da Jesus diese Rede vollendet hatte
00:41
3.
Choral- Herzliebster Jesu, was dast du verbrochen
00:43
4.
Recitativo (Evangelista)- Da versammleten sich die Hohenpriester
02:55
5.
Recitativo (Alto)- Du liever Heiland du
00:59
6.
Aria (Alto)- Buss und Rue
04:33
7.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Judas)- Da ging hin der Zwolfen einer
00:36
8.
Aria (Soprano)- Blute nur, du liebes Herz!
04:49
9.
Recitativo (Evangelista)- Aber am ersten Tage der Syssen Brot
02:04
10.
Choral- Ich bin's, ich sollte byssen
00:46
11.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Jesus)- Er antwortete und sprach
02:39
12.
Recitativo (Soprano)- Wiewohl mein Herz in Trsnen schwimmt
01:20
13.
Aria (Soprano)- Ich will dir mein Herze schenken
03:31
14.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Jesus)- Und da sie den Lobgesang
01:00
15.
Choral- Erkenne mich, mein Hyter
00:55
16.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Jesus, Petrus)- Petrus aber antwortete
00:58
17.
Choral- Ich will hier bei dir stehen
00:57
18.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Jesus)- Da kam Jesus mit ihnen zu einem Hofe
01:25
19.
Recitativo (Tenore)- O Schmerz!- Choral (Chorus II)- Was ist die Ursach
01:53
20.
Aria (Tenore, Chorus II)- Ich will bei meinem Jesu wachen
05:01
21.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Jesus)- Und ging hin ein wenig
00:36
22.
Recitativo (Basso)- Der heoland fallt vor seinem Vater nieder
00:56
23.
Aria (Basso)- Gerne will ich mich bequenem
04:28
24.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Jesus)- Und er kam zu seinem J?ngern
01:06
25.
Choral- Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit
00:58
26.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Jesus, Judas)- Und er kam und fand sie aber schlafend
02:14
27.
Aria (Soprano, Alto - Chorus II)- So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen
04:28
28.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Jesus)- Und siehe, einer aus denen
02:04
29.
Choral- O Mensch, bewein dein Sunde gross
05:51
30.
Aria (Alto, Chorus II)- Ach! nun ist mein Jesus hin!
03:37
31.
Recitativo (Evangelista)- Die aber Jesum gegriffen hatten
00:55
32.
Choral- mir hat die Welt truglich gericht'
00:42
33.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Pontifex)- Und wiewohl viel falsche Zeugen
01:06
34.
Recitativo (Tenore)- Mein Jesus schweigt
00:55
35.
Aria (Tenore)- Geduld!
03:37
36.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Pontifex, Jesus)- Und der Hohepriester antwortete 36b. Chori- Er ist des To
01:57
37.
Choral- Wer hat dich so geschlagen
00:47
38.
Recitativo (evangelista, Ancilla I, II, Petrus)- Petrus aber sass draussen im Palast 38b. Chorus II-
02:08
39.
Aria (Alto)- Erbarme dich
06:00
40.
Choral- Bin ich gleich von der gewichen
00:58
41.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Judas)- Des morgens aber hielten
01:45
42.
Aria (Basso)- Gebt mir meinen Jesum wieder!
02:48
43.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Pilatus, Jesus)- Sie hielten aber einen Rat
01:59
44.
Choral- Befiehl du deine Wege
00:59
45.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Platus, Uxor Pilati, Chorus)- Auf das Fest aber 45b. Chori- Lass ihn kreuzi
02:19
46.
Choral- Wie wunderbarlich ist doch diese Strafe!
00:40
47.
Recitativo (Evangelista, PIlatus)- Der Landphleger sagte
00:13
48.
Recitativo (Soprano)- Er hat uns allen wohlgetan
01:07
49.
Aria (Soprano)- Aus Liebe
04:49
50.
Recitativo (Evangelista)- Sie schrieen aber noch mehr
01:51
51.
Recitativo (Alto)- Erbarm es Gott!
01:04
52.
Aria (Alto)- Konnen Tranen meiner Wangen
05:57
53.
Recitativo (Evangelista)- Da nahmen die Kriegsknechte
01:03
54.
Choral- O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden
01:59
55.
Recitativo (Evangelista)- Und da sie ihn verspottet hatten
00:54
56.
Recitativo (Basso)- Ja freilich will in uns das Fleisch un Blut
00:41
57.
Aria (Basso)- Komm, susses Kreuz
05:18
58.
Recitativo (Evangelista)- Und da sie an die Statte kamen 58b. Chori- Der du den Tempel Gottes zerbri
03:10
59.
Recitativo (Alto)- Ach Golgatha!
01:28
60.
Aria (Alto, Chorus II)- Sehet, Jesus Hat die Hand
03:17
61.
Recitativo (Evangelista, Jesus)- Und von der sechsten Stunde an 61b. Chorus I- Der rufet dem Elias!
02:00
62.
Choral- Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden
01:02
63.
Recitativo (Evangelista)- Und siehe da, der Vorhang 63b. Chori- Wahlich, dieser ist Gottes Sohn gewe
02:20
64.
Recitativo (Basso)- Am Abend, da es kuhle was
01:46
65.
Aria (Basso)- Mache dich, mein Herze, rein
06:08
66.
Recitativo (Evangelista)- Und Joseph nahm den Leib 66b. Chori- herr, wir haben gedacht 66c. Recitati
02:24
67.
Recitativo (Basso, Tenore, Alto, Soprano - Chorus II)- Nun ist der Herr zur Ruh gebracht
01:49
68.
Chori- Wir setzen uns mit Tranen nieder
05:40

Total time: 02:37:05

Additional information

Label

SKU

CC72357

Qualities

, ,

Channels

, ,

Artists

Composers

Genres

,

Cables

Siltech

Digital Converters

DCS

Microphones

Sonodore

Conductors

Instruments

, , , , , , , ,

Original Recording Format

Producer

Bert van der Wolf

Recording Engineer

Bert van der wolf, Fir Suidema

Recording location

Predikherenkerk, Leuven Belgium

Recording Software

Pyramix

Recording Type & Bit Rate

DSD64

Release DateSeptember 15, 2014

Press reviews

Positive Feedback

This is a magnificent and transparent recording. And it is very different than the ground-breaking recording of 20 years earlier when Kuijken was concert master, Gustav Leonhardt was conductor, and Rene Jacobs sang the alto, and the performance sported a full choir. Here, no separate choir. No counter-tenor. Kuijken leads from his position in the ensemble as first violin. Instead of a choir, the soloists sing together as needed. The ensemble is stripped down to the bare essentials—this is no monumental 19th century performance…

Kuijken’s approach was fairly radical even as late as 2010. But it all works. It has clarity, it has precision—like a surgeon’s scalpel. Sliced away is all the added fluff. In its place is a purity of voice and sound that is more like madrigal singing, not choral singing. It also has a direct intensity with just the individual voices that performances using larger forces miss. I like it. I feel refreshed by it, and deeply moved listening to it.

Recorded 5-9 April 2009, at Predikherenkerk, Leuven, Belgium, we once again hear that delightful natural acoustic reverberation coupled with in Bert van der Wolf’s iconic balancing of reverberant and direct sound.

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