KCOV Excelsior sings Bach's St Matthew Passion

St. Matthew Passion

Johann Sebastian Bach used the passion story of Jesus Christ for his St. Matthew Passion , as the Evangelist Matthew wrote it down. The St. Matthew Passion is Bach's greatest work. It has been a tradition in the Netherlands for many decades to perform this work on Palm Sunday or in the week before Easter. The most important figures in the work are the Evangelist and Christ himself. The Evangelist sings/tells the Passion story, and the Christ figure sings his own role. Four additional soloists portray other characters. As a change, they also sing arias in which they express their deep feelings about the suffering of Christ.

KCOV Excelsior

Oratorio choir Excelsior was founded in 1885. The choir now consists of approximately 100 singers and has performed the St. Matthew Passion annually in the Concertgebouw since 1953. In this performance of the St. Matthew Passion, Excelsior is accompanied by the Accademia Amsterdam orchestra.