Nowhere do you hear the St. Matthew Passion as often as in the Netherlands

There is probably no country in the world that has such an intimate bond with Bach’s Passion music as the Netherlands. Even in Germany, the homeland of the world-famous composer, the piece is not performed as often as it is here. Every spring, hundreds of performances of the St. Matthew Passion and the St. John Passion are organized. It transcends not only national borders but even religious beliefs; people without a direct connection to religion also enjoy listening to the St. Matthew and the St. John.

Tradition

Our national obsession with Passion music began a long time ago. As early as the 19th century, the rediscovery of Bach’s music sent shockwaves through the Dutch music scene. Since the legendary performances at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw conducted by Willem Mengelberg, the St. Matthew Passion has grown into a fixture in the spring. It once began as a strictly religious affair, but those times are long gone. Nevertheless, many view the masterpieces as a moment of contemplation and reflection.

Path of Suffering

Yet the St. John Passion is not as well-known as that other Passion, which is seen as the great crowd favorite. It is not without reason that ‘Erbarme dich’ from the St. Matthew Passion invariably ranks number one in the NPO Classical Top 400. Although both masterpieces illuminate the final hours of Jesus, they do so in different ways. One could say that the St. Matthew Passion is the most monumental and contemplative epic of the two works: it is grandly conceived with a double choir and invites the listener to reflection thanks to its comforting and emotional music.

The St. John Passion, on the other hand, is much more compact, intense, and dramatic in nature. Where the St. Matthew Passion describes a serene sacrifice, the St. John Passion tells a story full of political tension and human aggression. The tempo is higher and the atmosphere is rawer. Both works essentially sing the same story of suffering, but the feeling they evoke when you hear them differs significantly.

The Passion

Incidentally, the Dutch passion for the the story of the Passion does not stop at the concert hall. Since 2011, the TV spectacle The Passion has attracted millions of viewers on Maundy Thursday. With well-known pop songs and a large luminous cross, the story is brought into the here and now. Although the music of Bach and the hits of modern artists are miles apart, the core is exactly the same. While the TV version opts for spectacle and familiarity, the live performance of a Bach Passion offers a deeper, almost meditative experience, but always with room for contemplation and reflection.

Did you know…

• it is still customary at many performances not to applaud after the St. Matthew Passion? Silence is seen as the most beautiful tribute to the music.
• a full St. Matthew Passion easily takes three and a half hours, including the intermission? The St. John Passion gets the job done in a more compact two hours.
• the texts of the St. John Passion stay much closer to the biblical texts? The St. Matthew Passion, on the other hand, contains many more free, poetic texts that focus primarily on the emotion.
• Bach wrote the St. Matthew Passion for a double choir and two orchestras? This creates an impressive stereo sound, where the choirs sometimes literally engage in a conversation with each other.

Muziekgebouw Eindhoven

You can also experience the St Matthew Passion at Muziekgebouw Eindhoven this year. No fewer than three ensembles shed light on the story of the Passion.