Bach's St Matthew Passion

Johann Sebastian Bach's Passion oratorios are a high point in a long musical account of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. In these works, the composer combines all the means at his disposal, making use of cantata, oratorio and opera. The active history of this Passion music, however, did not begin until 100 years after the first performance of the St. Matthew Passion: the revival of the work by Felix Medelssohn Bartholdy in 1829 led to the rediscovery of Johann Sebastian Bach's music. This composition has long been a safe place beyond all boundaries of religious belief as a supreme work of Western art.