Even if you are not religious, the power of Bach's Passion of St. John is palpable. Particularly, the first rousing and dramatic Herr, Herr, Herr Unser Herrscher (Lord, Lord, Lord, Our Master). The recording below is from Japan and the conductor is Masaaki Suziki. Watching the conductor as he moves all the parts of the chorus is in itself is an experience! As the saying goes, not all musicians believe in God, but they all believe in Johann Sebastian Bach.
This article by Wong and Proctor summarizes the composition nicely:
St. John Passion
Bach's St. John Passion is gloomy, stressful, highly emotional, and powerfully meditative. Its depth comes from its subtlety. There is no noble hero, no mustache-twirling villian, no hummable tunes. As difficult as it was to work within the confines of John's text, Bach was able to create a moving work with musical, spiritual, and psychological unity of form.
Happy Easter!
This article by Wong and Proctor summarizes the composition nicely:
St. John Passion
Bach's St. John Passion is gloomy, stressful, highly emotional, and powerfully meditative. Its depth comes from its subtlety. There is no noble hero, no mustache-twirling villian, no hummable tunes. As difficult as it was to work within the confines of John's text, Bach was able to create a moving work with musical, spiritual, and psychological unity of form.
Happy Easter!
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