ConcertPulse
Bach: St Matthew Passion / Philippe Herreweghe
Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)
Thank goodness for Mendelssohn! If the 20-year-old Felix Mendelssohn had not brought Bach’s »St Matthew Passion« back to light in 1829, after it had lain forgotten in some archive since the first performance a century earlier, an incomparable masterpiece would be missing from the concert and church music repertoire. More than that, in fact: with his revival of the »St Matthew Passion«, the young composer kicked off a massive renaissance of Bach’s music that has lost none of its momentum to this day. One of the core works in this Bach revival is the »St Matthew Passion«, whose dramatic density and brilliant musical structure cast a spell over audiences 300 years ago, as they still do today. The Easter masterpiece is performed tonight at the Elbphilharmonie by a team of experienced Bach specialists: Philippe Herreweghe conducts the Collegium Vocale Gent together with a hand-picked line-up of soloists. A musical experience that will certainly stay with the audience long after the concert is over.