Have some Bach · 8:07pm Apr 6th, 2015
In the spirit of Easter (Easter Monday still counts as part of the Easter weekend, dammit!) I thought I'd post a bit of St Matthew Passion.
The Matthäus-Passion is an important Easter tradition in the Netherlands – more so than in Germany itself, probably more than anywhere in the world. On Good Friday, the piece is performed everywhere, from small village churches to the country's most prestigious concert halls. As it should be – it's very beautiful music. This is perhaps my favourite aria from the piece: Mache dich, mein Herze, rein.
If you're looking to get the whole thing, I can highly recommend the 2007 recording by the Dunedin Consort & Players under John Butt (don't laugh). It has a rich, pleasant sound, an impressively deep bass as Jesus, and just the right tempo. Hear it for yourself here (ignore the cheesy vegan propaganda, it's the only upload I could find).
Happy post-Easter days!
That is truly a great piece!