Matthäus-Passion: Ton Koopman en Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir

Bach's St Matthew Passion

The premiere of Bach's St Matthew Passion in 1727 was embedded in a full Lutheran church service, with an hour-long sermon—this for those who find the work beautiful, but a bit long. A century later, Felix Mendelssohn dusted off the St Matthew , thereby giving impetus to the Bach veneration of today. The Dutch St Matthew Passion tradition is a unique phenomenon: in the weeks leading up to Easter, the work is performed hundreds of times. In an era where the internet is the new church and the smartphone seems to be everyone's God, the annual fascination with Bach's magnum opus is a comforting phenomenon. The St Matthew Passion is not a hype, but a unifying moment of reflection.

Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra

With his infectious energy, vast knowledge, and sparkling musicality, Ton Koopman makes Baroque music sound as if it were written yesterday. As an organist, harpsichordist, conductor, and researcher, he breathes the music of Bach, Handel, and their contemporaries. He calls Bach the pinnacle of music history. With his own Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, he has given countless concerts worldwide, and tonight they are performing the St Matthew Passion in the Main Hall. In an interview with Het Parool, Koopman once said: 'I cannot do two measures in the St Matthew Passion the same way. You must play with tempo, with details. The details make the piece.'