What makes a piece of music ‘great’?
We are all taught to venerate certain composers above all others: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven spring to mind. And, from the quill of such composers, particular works always feature more prominently than any others. In Bach’s case, the St Matthew Passion is so heralded. Historically, this work, perhaps more so than any other, came to symbolise Bach’s revival across Europe. It is remarkable that such music had remained little more than the musical cognoscenti’s best kept secret until a young Mendelssohn famously and bravely revived the work in 1829, following no fewer than two years of rehearsals. This heralded a great reawakening of public interest in Bach’s music, although the first performance in Britain was not until 1854 under the baton of Sterndale Bennett.
Whereas many of Bach’s compositions were ‘parodies’ in that they routinely consisted of previous works recycled in completely different contexts, the St Matthew Passion was entirely original from the outset. Following the first performance in 1727, the only subsequent major appropriation (from the second version of the St John Passion) was the monumental chorus which now concludes the first part: ‘O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groβ’ – ‘O man, thy heavy sin lament’.
The Bach family referred to the work as the ‘great Passion’, thus distinguishing it from his other four settings of which only the St John Passion has survived. In his 2001 biography, Bach: The Learned Musician, Christoff Wolf writes “It could not be more evident that Bach, in 1736, considered this score as his most significant work. He knew full well, from the earliest planning stages, that this composition would be special – indeed, that nothing like it had ever been attempted before.”
Can there be a finer fusion of Bach’s genius? Every note carries purpose, every phrase is a joy to rehearse, every movement perfectly crafted. And, O, what movements! From the fabulously complex texture of the first movement’s great double fugue for double choir and orchestra, woven around the chorale O Lamm Gottes unschuldig - a movement which takes some conductors the best part of 15 minutes to accomplish – to the astonishing beauty and simplicity of the soprano aria Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben, accompanied by a single flute and two oboes, Bach takes us on a dramatic, sacred and musical journey blending compellingly varied music and huge forces in art of the highest order.
I think I am right in saying that our concert, on March 31st 2012, will be the first complete performance of this wonderful music in St Ives. That this has taken me over a decade as Musical Director says much about the huge regard I have for this work. That it has taken St Ives many more years to reach this point is another matter. We should be both humbled and proud in being given the opportunity to settle such a great score.
