Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam - Bachs Matthäus-Passion

Bach's St. Matthew Passion

Nowhere is Bach's masterpiece about the suffering and death of Christ performed as often and attended as faithfully as in the Netherlands. The first performance took place in 1727 in the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. The piece, which vividly evokes grand themes such as death, love, and consolation, fell into obscurity after Bach's death. The work experienced a revival in 1829. In 1874, Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam sang his first St. Matthew Passion under the direction of Johannes Verhulst. In 1899, Willem Mengelberg conducted the St. Matthew Passion for the first time with Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam, conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra. This marked the beginning of an annual tradition that has been maintained ever since by Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam, and since 2016 with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra. Also listen to the podcast "Living with the St. Matthew Passion," produced by Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam in 2023 to mark the tradition's 125th anniversary.

Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam

Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam, founded in 1829, is an ambitious and versatile concert choir. Its 80 trained amateur singers perform Bach's St. Matthew Passion , well-known works such as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and the requiems of Mozart and Verdi, but their repertoire also includes Stravinsky, Ravel, Egon Kracht, and Tippett. Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam frequently receives invitations from professional orchestras to participate in concerts. For example, last summer the choir sang Rufus Wainwright's Dream Requiem with the Netherlands Philharmonic. The choir also presents its own production at least once a season. Furthermore, Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam regularly commissions compositions. Boudewijn Jansen has been the choir's conductor since 2003.