James Richman & The Dallas Bach Society

Composer

Bach, Johann Sebastian

Bach’s St Johannes Passion is the earliest surviving Passion, or Oratorio by J.S Bach and was first performed in 1724. This version consists of two sections and retains this structure in the versions and revisions that followed in 1725, 1730, 1736 and 1749. Bach added several numbers in the 1749 version, but several arias from the revisions are found only in the appendices of modern editions.
So, there is no ‘final’ version crafted by the composer as there is for the later St Matthew Passion, no single manuscript as there is for the Brandenburg Concertos, nor a revised printed edition as exists for the Goldberg Variations. What we do have are Bach’s various attempts as he went from performance to performance, to try to grasp what he was aiming for – consciously and unconsciously. There is much that is operatic in the music, and the thought that the Johannes Passion is Bach’s opera is hardly an original one.
This recording uses the new edition by musicologist Malcolm Bruno .

Track List

0:08:23
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 1, Chorus. Herr, unser Herrscher
0:02:25
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 2, Recit. & Chorus. Jesus ging mit seinen Jüngern – Jesum von Nazareth – Jesus spricht zu ihnen (Evangelist, Jesus, Chorus)
0:00:47
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 3, Chorale. O grosse Lieb
0:01:05
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 4, Recit. Auf dass das Wort (Evangelist, Jesus)
0:00:55
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 5, Chorale. Dein Will gescheh, Herr Gott
0:00:47
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 6, Recit. Die Schar aber und der Oberhauptmann (Evangelist)
0:04:22
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 7, Aria. Von den Stricken meiner Sünden (Alto)
0:00:14
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 8, Recit. Simon Petrus aber folgete Jesu nach (Evangelist)
0:04:00
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 9, Aria. Ich folge dir gleichfalls (Alto)
0:03:11
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No.10, Recit. Der selbige Junger
0:01:38
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 11, Chorale. Wer hat dich so geschlagen
0:02:15
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 12, Recit. Und Hannas sandte ihn gebunden (Evangelist, Servant, Peter)
0:02:53
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 13, Aria. Ach, mein Sinn (Tenor)
0:01:16
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 1: No. 14, Chorale. Petrus, der nicht denkt zurück
0:01:07
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 15, Chorale. Christ, der uns selig macht
0:04:32
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 16, Recit. & Chorus. Da führeten sie Jesum – Auf dass erfüllet würde das Wort (Evangelist, Pilate, Jesus)
0:01:24
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 17, Chorale. Ach grosser König
0:02:11
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 18, Recit. & Chorus. Da sprach Pilatus – Nicht diesen, sondern Barrabam (Evangelist, Pilate, Jesus, Chorus)
0:02:40
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 19, Arioso. Betrachte, meine Seel (Bass)
0:08:51
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 20, Aria. Erwäge, wie sein blutgefärbter Rücken (Tenor)
0:06:15
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 21, Recit. & Chorus. Und die Kriegsknechte – Und gaben ihm Backenstreiche – Kreuzige, kreuzige – Da Pilatus das Wort hörete (Evangelist, Pilate, Jesus, Chorus)
0:00:55
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 22, Chorale. Durch dein Gefängnis, Gottes Sohn
0:04:24
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 23, Recit. & Chorus. Die Jüden aber schrieen... Weg, weg mit dem, kreuzige ihn! (Evangelist, Pilate, Chorus)
0:04:02
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 24, Aria & Chorus. Eilt, ihr angefochtnen Seelen (Bass, Chorus)
0:02:24
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 25, Recit. & Chorus. Allda kreuzigten sie ihn – Schreibe nicht “Der Jüden König”(Evangelist, Pilate, Chorus)
0:01:03
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 26, Chorale. In meines Herzens Grunde
0:03:58
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 27, Recit. & Chorus. Die Kriegsknechte aber – Lasset uns den nicht zerteilen – Auf das erfüllet würde die Schrift (Evangelist, Jesus, Chorus)
0:01:06
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 28, Chorale. Er nahm alles wohl in acht
0:01:29
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 29, Recit. Und von Stund an nahm sie der Jünger (Evangelist, Jesus)
0:05:14
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 30, Aria. Es ist vollbracht! (Alto)
0:00:29
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 31, Recit. Und neiget das Haupt und verschied (Evangelist)
0:05:15
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 32, Aria & Chorale. Mein teurer Heiland – Jesu, der du warest tot (Bass, Chorus)
0:00:29
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 33, Recit. Und siehe da (Evangelist)
0:00:52
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 34, Arioso. Mein Herz, in dem die ganze Welt (Tenor)
0:06:52
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 35, Aria. Zerfliesse, mein Herze (Soprano)
0:02:19
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 36, Recit. Die Jüden aber, dieweil es der Rüsttag war (Evangelist)
0:01:07
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 37, Chorale. O hilf, Christe, Gottes Sohn
0:02:22
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 38, Recit. Darnach bat Pilatum Joseph von Arimathia (Evangelist)
0:05:58
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 39, Chorus. Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine
0:02:20
St John Passion, BWV 245, Pt. 2: No. 40, Chorale. Ach Herr, lass dein lieb Engelein

James Richman & The Dallas Bach Society

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

ONYX4276

Released 27/03/2026

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