J.S. Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245 Bach Collegium Japan & Masaaki Suzuki

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): St. John Passion, BWV 245:
• 1St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 1, Herr, unser Herrscher08:16
• 2St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 2, Jesus ging mit seinen Jüngern02:15
• 3St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 3, O große Lieb, o Lieb ohn alle Maße00:42
• 4St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 4, Auf dass das Wort erfüllet würde01:04
• 5St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 5, Dein Will gescheh, Herr Gott, zugleich00:41
• 6St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 6, Die Schar aber und der Oberhauptmann00:45
• 7St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 7, Von den Stricken meiner Sünden03:55
• 8St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 8, Simon Petrus aber folgete Jesu nach00:12
• 9St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 9, Ich folge dir gleichfalls mit freudigen Schritten03:39
• 10St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 10, Derselbe Jünger war dem Hohenpriester bekannt02:57
• 11St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 11, Wer hat dich so geschlagen01:19
• 12St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 12, Und Hannas sandte ihn gebunden02:03
• 13St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 13, Ach, mein Sinn02:34
• 14St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 14, Petrus, der nicht denkt zurück01:07
• 15St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 15, Christus, der uns selig macht00:53
• 16St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 16, Da führeten sie Jesum03:57
• 17St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 17, Ach großer König01:18
• 18St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 18, Da sprach Pilatus zu ihm01:52
• 19St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 19, Betrachte, meine Seel, mit ängstlichem Vergnügen02:15
• 20St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 20, Erwäge, wie sein blutgefärbter Rücken07:24
• 21St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 21, Und die Kriegsknechte flochten eine Krone05:25
• 22St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 22, Durch dein Gefängnis, Gottes Sohn01:01
• 23St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 23, Die Jüden aber schrieen und sprachen03:56
• 24St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 24, Eilt, ihr angefochtnen Seelen03:44
• 25St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 25, Allda kreuzigten sie ihn01:57
• 26St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 26, In meines Herzens Grunde00:57
• 27St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 27, Die Kriegsknechte aber03:33
• 28St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 28, Er nahm alles wohl in acht01:04
• 29St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 29, Und von Stund an nahm sie der Jünger zu sich01:18
• 30St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 30, Es ist vollbracht05:17
• 31St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 31, Und neiget das Haupt und verschied00:23
• 32St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 32, Mein teurer Heiland04:22
• 33St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 33, Und siehe da, der Vorhang im Tempel zeriss00:28
• 34St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 34, Mein Herz, indem die ganze Welt00:46
• 35St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 35, Zerfließe, mein Herze06:25
• 36St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 36, Die Jüden aber, dieweil es der Rüsttag war02:03
• 37St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 37, O hilf, Christe, Gottes Sohn00:56
• 38St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 38, Darnach bat Pilatum Joseph von Arimathia02:09
• 39St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 39, Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine07:42
• 40St. John Passion, BWV 245: No. 40, Ach Herr, lass dein lieb Engelein01:46
• Total Runtime01:44:20

Info for J.S. Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245

Suzuki presents the 1749 version of the St. John Passion, a work that underwent many changes since its first performance in 1724. This fourth version, performed at the end of Bach's life, represents his ultimate vision of this great work. (Suzuki includes in an appendix three arias from the 1725 version that Bach removed from this later version.)

Nowhere, in any other historically informed recording of the St. John Passion, does one hear tension and drama as in the opening chorus on this recording. Suzuki's small forces (21 musicians and a choir of 20) and excellent choir, recorded almost perfectly, stand out here and present the essential version of this work. It is interesting to note that Suzuki uses a harpsichord for continuo accompaniment, which most composers do not use, and himself plays the harpsichord for this recording.

This recording is as close to perfection as is possible for this work. Each of the soloists is excellent, beginning with evangelist Gerd Türk, who, in both of the passions, is excellent, and the recitatives in this work take on a scale of intensity that is rarely heard. Counter-tenor Yoshikazu Mera is one of the revelations of the St. John Passion, and his singing of the aria Von den Stricken meiner Sunden is magnificent in its humility and grace. Es ist vollbracht, also sung by Yoshikazu Mera, is such a lucid expression of pathos that one almost wants to turn of the recording after it - it is a tough act to follow. Bass Peter Kooij is superb, and is certainly one of the finest Christs on record in this passion. However, soprano Ingrid Schmithusen lacks the profound depth that some of the other singers show.

But one of the stars of this recording is the choir, magnificent in tone and texture, which Suzuki controls almost perfectly. While there are not many choral movements in this work - with the exception of the short chorales - the two main choral movements, the one that opens the work and the penultimate movement, are performed magically.

"What more can I say, other than that I found myself drawn into the drama from the start, at the same time finding much that struck me as fresh in matters of interpretation, and tonality of great beauty. …this is a major recording event, and an eminently satisfying one." (Gramophone Magazine)

Yoshie Hida, soprano
Ingrid Schmithüsen, soprano
Yoshikazu Mera, counter-tenor
Makoto Sakurada, tenor
Gerd Türk, tenor
Peter Kooij, bass
Chiyuki Urano, bass
Bach Collegium Japan
Masaaki Suzuki, conductor

Masaaki Suzuki
Since founding Bach Collegium Japan in 1990, Masaaki Suzuki has established himself as a leading authority on the works of Bach. He has remained their Music Director ever since, taking them regularly to major venues and festivals in Europe and the USA and building up an outstanding reputation for the expressive refinement and truth of his performances. In addition to working with renowned period ensembles, such as Collegium Vocale Gent and Philharmonia Baroque, he is invited to conduct modern instrument orchestras in repertoire as diverse as Britten, Fauré, Haydn, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Stravinsky. Last season saw his debut appearances with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Melbourne Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, while engagements for 2012/2013 include return visits to the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and Verbier Festival and his debuts with the New York Philharmonic and the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart.

Suzuki’s impressive discography on the BIS label, featuring Bach’s complete works for harpsichord and his interpretations of Bach’s major choral works and sacred cantatas with Bach Collegium Japan (of which he has already completed over fifty volumes of a project to record the complete series) have brought him many critical plaudits – the Times has written: “it would take an iron bar not to be moved by his crispness, sobriety and spiritual vigour”. In 2010, Suzuki and his ensemble were awarded both a German Record Critics’ Award (Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik) and a Diapason d’Or de l’Année for their recording of Bach motets, which was also honoured in 2011 with a BBC Music Magazine Award.

Highlights of last season with Bach Collegium Japan included a European tour incorporating concerts at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Brussels Palais des Beaux-Arts and Paris Salle Pleyel amongst others, and culminating with a performance of the St Matthew Passion at the Thomaskirche, Leipzig where Suzuki was presented with the 2012 Leipzig Bach Prize. This season sees the group in residence at the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht and Bremen Musikfest.

Masaaki Suzuki combines his conducting career with his work as organist and harpsichordist. Born in Kobe, he graduated from the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music with a degree in composition and organ performance and went on to study harpsichord and organ at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam under Ton Koopman and Piet Kee. Founder and head of the early music department at the Tokyo University of the Arts, he is currently Visiting Professor of Choral Conducting at the Yale School of Music and Yale Institute of Sacred Music and the conductor of Yale Schola Cantorum.

Suzuki was decorated with ‘Das Verdienstkreuz am Bande des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik’ from Germany in April 2001, Bremen Musikfest Award 2011, and Bach Medal 2012 by the city of Leipzig in June 2012.

Bach Collegium Japan
was founded in 1990 by Masaaki Suzuki, its inspirational Music Director, with the aim of introducing Japanese audiences to period instrument performances of great works from the baroque period. Comprised of both baroque orchestra and chorus, their activities include an annual concert series of Bach’s cantatas and a number of instrumental programmes.

They have acquired a formidable international reputation through their acclaimed recordings of the major choral works of Johann Sebastian Bach for the BIS label; this season sees the triumphant conclusion of their recorded cycle of the complete Church Cantatas, a huge undertaking comprising over fifty CDs initiated in 1995. Their recent recording of Bach Motets was honoured with a German Record Critics’ Award (Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik), Diapason d’Or de l’Année 2010 and also in 2011 with a BBC Music Magazine Award.

Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki have shared their interpretations across the international music scene with performances in venues as far afield as Amsterdam, Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, New York and Seoul, and at major festivals such as the BBC Proms, the Edinburgh International Festival and the Hong Kong Arts Festival. In 2010 the ensemble celebrated their 20th anniversary with a series of special concerts in Tokyo, and last season included performances at the Musikfest Bremen as well as appearances at New York’s Lincoln Center where Masaaki Suzuki and the choir were invited to collaborate with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra to open its Bach Variations Festival. This season they undertake their first visit to the New Zealand International Arts Festival and embark upon another major European tour during which they bring Bach’s St John Passion and a Cantata programme to cities such as Barcelona, Lyon, Paris and Toulouse.

Booklet for J.S. Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245