St. John Passion

On Saturday -- half way through Lent, and just three weeks before the Easter weekend -- I attended the performance by the Seattle Symphony, joined by the Symphony's Chorale, of the St. John Passion by J. S. Bach.

The work was  played by an orchestra considerable larger than would have been used in Bach's time -- a fairly full orchestra and a large chorale, with four soloists.  The Passion was sung in German with easily readable super titles provding an English translation projected high above the stage.

More so than do most concert pieces, even those with a religious theme, the St. John Passion tends to arouse actual devotional emotions in the audience, or at least it did so in me.

I was totally unfamiliar with the work; so far as I can recall, I had never heard it even from recordings.  The performance lasted for two hours, with a twenty-minute intermission.  As the title suggests, the "plot" follows the story of Christ's arrest, trial, crucifixion, and burial, as related in chapters 18 and 19 of St. John's Gospel.  The gospel is presented in sung recitative, with the voices of the major characters -- e.g., Jesus, Pilate, Peter -- sung by soloists.  

Most of us are well familiar with the gospel reading --  John ch. 18-19 is the traditional reading for Good Friday services.  But Bach's Passion goes beyond the words of the gospel, interspersing arias and choruses suggesting the proper emotional response from the congregation/audience,  and exhorting us to prayers of thanksgiving and of devotion.  Most stirring, perhaps, are the numerous chorales sung by the full chorus, based on Lutheran hymns familiar to Bach's original German audiences.

The music of at least one short chorale "Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod" seemed clearly familiar to me, or at least reminiscent of a similar-sounding hymn.

A very full house in Benaroya Hall, with a larger than usual number of receptive children and teens in attendance with their parents.  I myself am sorry that I'd never heard this work by Bach before.  If I have the chance to attend another performance some day, I'll definitely do so.

The gospel story ends with Christ's body being sealed in the tomb.

Rest well, you blessed limbs,
now I will no longer mourn you,
rest well and bring me also to peace!
The grave that is allotted to you
and encloses no further suffering,
opens heaven for me and closes off Hell.

I left the auditorium looking forward to Easter morning.