Yesterday we had Christ back from the dead in the Easter Vigil organ piece by Langlais, so really we should have his death. The ‘Passion’ means the ‘passing’, and the real title of St John Passion is ‘The Passion of Christ in the Gospel of St John’.
Bach wrote a Matthew, a Mark, a Luke, and a John passion, but only Matthew and John exist fully now. John Passion came first in 1724, and is more punchy and shorter than the Matthew which has two orchestras and choirs.
St John Passion opens with a swirling orchestral accompaniment with a heavy pulsating bass and clashing suspensions in the woodwind. This really draws us into the drama of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. There’s a bit of fugal action, syncopation, but ultimately it’s a G minor whirlwind to start the slow journey to Christ’s death. – Bach didn’t write any operas, but this is as close as it gets.
The Bach scholar John Butt, who directs the Dunedin Consort, reconstructed what the Passion would’ve looked like at the BBC Proms – it’s really quite something!
The Listening Project Blog 