Barbican Hall J. S. Bach St Matthew Passion

Transcription

Sunday 5 April 2009 at 6.00pm
J. S. Bach St Matthew Passion
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
St Thomas’s Boys Choir Thomaskantor Georg Christoph Biller
Tölz Boys Choir Künstlerischer Leiter Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden
Riccardo Chailly Gewandhauskapellmeister
Christina Landshamer soprano
Marie-Claude Chappuis mezzo-soprano
Johannes Chum tenor Evangelist
Maximilian Schmitt tenor
Thomas Quasthoff bass-baritone
Hanno Müller-Brachmann bass-baritone Christus
Klaus Häger bass Pilate/Peter/Judas
4.30pm: pre-concert talk in the Fountain Room
There will be one interval of 20 minutes after Part 1.
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Notes
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
St Matthew Passion, BWV 244 (1727, rev. 1736)
‘God save us … it’s just as if one were at an opera!’ An
aged widow’s reaction to the St Matthew Passion, as
reported by a contemporary, should doubtless be taken
with a pinch of salt. Yet we can guess that many of the
Leipzig faithful were startled, even shocked, by what they
heard in St Thomas’s Church during the afternoon
Vespers service on Good Friday 1727.
Leipzig was a musically conservative city. Only in 1721
did the Town Council finally decide to replace the old
tradition of a Good Friday Passion delivered largely
in plainchant with the instrumentally accompanied,
operatically influenced type of Passion long cultivated
in other, more cosmopolitan, German cities. Bach had
provided a setting of the St John Passion in 1724, the year
after his appointment as the city’s Cantor et Director
Musices. Three years later, he offered a congregation
still relatively unfamiliar with the new genre a work
unprecedented in its scale and encyclopedic scope.
day, not least opera seria. At once a mighty assertion of
faith
and a summation of Bach’s art in 1727, the St Matthew
Passion is arguably the most challenging and profoundly
affecting of all musical works on a Christian subject.
Certainly few would contest Bach scholar Malcolm
Boyd’s description of the St Matthew Passion as ‘the
most monumental dramatic masterpiece before
Wagner’s Ring’.
Bach performed the St Matthew Passion no more than
four or five times, always in St Thomas’s Church: in 1727,
1729, 1736, and then once or twice in the early 1740s.
For the 1736 revival he made various revisions and,
characteristically, went to the trouble of writing out a
beautiful fair copy of the work, with the words of the
Evangelist differentiated in red ink. This is the version
most often performed today. The most drastic change
from the 1727 original was the replacement of the simple
chorale that ended Part 1 with the elaborate chorale
The ‘great Passion’ (as the St Matthew was known in the
fantasia ‘O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde gross’, filched
Bach family circle) is longer by far than any previous
from the second (1725) version of the St John Passion.
Passion setting; it calls for uniquely elaborate forces – two
Bach also altered details of orchestration (such as the
four-part choirs, each accompanied by its own orchestra
substitution of viola da gamba for lute in the bass aria
of flutes, oboes (doubling oboes d’amore and oboe da
‘Komm, süsses Kreuz’), assigned separate continuo
caccia), strings and continuo, plus an extra group of
groups to the two choirs, and, to create a spectacular
sopranos (or, as tonight, trebles) for the chorales in the
spatial effect, added the so-called ‘swallow’s nest’ organ,
opening and closing choruses of Part 1; and it draws on
in the loft across the nave from the main gallery, to the
virtually every sacred and secular musical form of the
chorales in the choruses that frame Part 1.
2
Notes
The story of Christ’s betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion and
burial is presented on different levels, creating rich,
multiple layers of musical argument and a constant
interweaving of past and present. The Gospel narrative,
drawn from Matthew Chapters 26 and 27, unfolds in
recitative, sung by the Evangelist, Christus and other
dramatis personae, and in the vividly theatrical turba
(crowd) choruses. The Evangelist’s role was traditionally
taken by a tenor, that of Christ by a bass. Traditional,
too, was the ‘halo’ of sustained strings accompanying
Christ’s words.
Each successive stage in the narrative prompts the
individual believer to lyrical reflection and/or prayer in
an aria, usually preceded by an arioso or accompanied
recitative. The texts for these were supplied by Bach’s
frequent collaborator Christian Friedrich Henrici, writing
under the pseudonym ‘Picander’. The chorales that
punctuate the narrative – harmonisations (and what
harmonies!) of tunes that would have been readily
recognisable to Bach’s audience – introduce an element
of communal devotion, though the famous so-called
‘Passion’ chorale, heard five times (Nos 15, 17, 44, 54 and
62), actually derives from a love song by Hans Leo
Hassler. Finally, there are the monumental framing
choruses that act as the work’s structural pillars, one a
massive chorale-fantasia over throbbing pedal-points,
the other a sublime lullaby in sarabande rhythm. Bach
casts the opening chorale-fantasia as an allegorical
dialogue between the ‘Daughter of Zion’ (choir 1) and
the bemused faithful (choir 2). When the music modulates
from E minor to G major, he then counterpoints the
antiphonal dialogues with the German Agnus Dei
chorale (‘O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig’) sung by a
separate group of sopranos (or trebles) from the
‘swallow’s nest’ loft.
After this opening fantasia, the first choir in Part 1
represents the 12 disciples, the second choir the wider
circle of Christ’s followers. Mediating between past and
present,the choirs combine in the chorales to represent
the entire Christian community. In Part 2 both choirs voice
the Jews’ fanatical hatred, singing in brusque antiphony,
motet-style, to enhance the effect of a clamorous,
hysterical mob, or combining in unison as they scream
for Christ’s crucifixion.
Because the action is more frequently suspended by
meditative arias and chorales, the St Matthew Passion is
often regarded as a less overtly dramatic work than the
St John. In fact, Bach controls both pace and tension with
the skill of a born musical dramatist. Take the inexorable
build-up of intensity and sonority near the end of Part 1,
from the scene of Judas’s betrayal and Christ’s infinitely
calm response (‘Mein Freund, warum bist du kommen?’),
through the lamenting duet ‘So ist mein Jesus nun
gefangen’ (No. 27a), where soprano and alto entwine
sorrowfully as in an operatic love duet triste against
3
Notes
frantic interjections from the second choir. The whole
outraged Christian community then erupts in the violent
chorus ‘Sind Blitze, sind Donner’, with its vertiginous,
theatrically conceived plunge from D major to F sharp
major to evoke hell’s fiery abyss (‘Eröffne den feurigen
Abgrund’).
Emotional expression is instead concentrated in the
lacerating, harmonically tortured alto arioso ‘Erbarm
es Gott!’ (No. 51).
After the alto’s recitative and aria with choral interjections
(Nos 59 and 60) contemplating the crucifixion, the
narrative moves swiftly to its climax. To emphasise Christ’s
Another dramatic masterstroke is the placing of the
isolation, Bach divests his final cry of ‘Eli, Eli, lama
soprano’s ‘Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben’ (No. 49) asabthani?’ of the string halo which has surrounded
– the work’s most ethereal, and ethereally scored, aria
all his words until now. After brief choruses for the
(flute and two oboes da caccia, with continuo omitted to bystanders, half-expectant of a miracle, the chorus
symbolise Christ’s purity) – between the two outbursts of
reflect on the meaning of Christ’s death in a searching
‘Lass ihn kreuzigen’ (Let him be crucified). The re-entry of chromatic harmonisation of the ‘Passion’ chorale
the chorus, now ratcheted up from A minor to B minor,
(No. 62). The rending of the veil and the earthquake –
immediately after the aria is perhaps the most savage
another moment of pure opera that doubtless repelled
that Leipzig widow in 1727 – then lead, via an astonishing
and shocking moment in the whole work.
wrench from G minor to A flat major at the Evangelist’s
Two incidents make for illuminating points of comparison
words ‘Erschraken sie sehr’, to the awed reaction of the
between the St Matthew and St John Passion. In the
bystanders, ‘Wahrlich, dieser ist Gottes Sohn gewesen’. In
earlier work Peter’s remorse after his threefold denial
St Matthew’s gospel these words are uttered by ‘a
provokes operatically anguished, long-drawn-out
centurion and they that were with him’. Uniting the two
melismas on ‘weinte’ (wept). In the St Matthew the setting
choirs, Bach magnifies the words of a few into a timeless,
of ‘weinte’, though deeply expressive, is far more
universal statement of the Christian faith, in two bars of
restrained, and prepares the listener for the alto’s tender,
overwhelming beauty and emotional power that fuse the
infinitely poignant plea for mercy, ‘Erbarme dich’
distant biblical past with our own time.
(No. 39). Similarly, where in the St John Passion the
Evangelist evokes Christ’s scourging in jagged roulades, Programme note © Richard Wigmore
the St Matthew Evangelist merely relates the facts.
4
Text and translation
PART 1
1 Chorus
Choir 1
Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen! Sehet!
Come, ye daughters, help me mourn! Behold!
Choir 2
Wen?
Whom?
Choir 1
Den Bräutigam! Seht ihn!
The bridegroom! See him!
Choir 2
Wie?
How?
Choir 1
Als wie ein Lamm.
Like a lamb.
Choirs 1 and 2
Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen, etc.
Come, ye daughters, help me mourn, etc.
Choir 1
Sehet!
See!
Choir 2
Was?
What?
Choir 1
Seht die Geduld. Sehet!
See his patience. Look!
Choir 2
Wohin?
Whereon?
Choir 1
Auf unsre Schuld.
Upon our guilt.
Choirs 1 and 2
Sehet ihn aus Lieb’ und Huld
Holz zum Kreuze selber tragen.
Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen, etc.
See him of his love and grace
himself bear wood for his cross.
Come, ye daughters, help me mourn, etc.
Ripieno
O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig,
Am Stamm des Kreuzes geschlachtet,
O innocent Lamb of God,
slaughtered upon the tree of the cross,
Please turn the page quietly
5
Allzeit erfunden geduldig,
Wiewohl du warest verachtet.
All’ Sünd’ hast du getragen,
Sonst müssten wir verzagen.
Erbarm’ dich unser, o Jesu!
at all times found patient,
although thou wast despised.
Thou hast borne all sin,
else should we have to despair.
Have mercy on us, O Jesus!
ANOINTING IN BETHANY
2 Recitative
Evangelist
Da Jesus diese Rede vollendet hatte, sprach er zu seinen
Jüngern:
When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his
disciples:
Christ
Ihr wisset, dass nach zweien Tagen Ostern wird, und
des Menschen Sohn wird überantwortet werden, dass
er gekreuziget werde.
Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover,
and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
(Matthew 26: 1–2)
3 Chorale
Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du verbrochen,
Dass man ein solch scharf Urteil hat gesprochen?
Was ist die Schuld, in was für Missetaten
Bist du geraten?
Beloved Jesu, what hast thou done wrong,
that such a hard sentence is pronounced upon thee?
What is thy offence, into what misdeeds
art thou fallen?
4a Recitative (Evangelist)
Da versammleten sich die Hohenpriester und Schriftgelehrten, und die Ältesten im Volk, in den Palast des
Hohenpriesters, der da hiess Kaiphas, und hielten Rat, wie
sie Jesum mit Listen griffen und töteten. Sie sprachen aber:
Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes,
and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high
priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they
might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him. But they said:
4b Chorus
Ja nicht auf das Fest, auf dass nicht ein Aufruhr werde im
Volk.
Not on the feast-day, lest there be an uproar among the
people.
4c Recitative (Evangelist)
Da nun Jesus war zu Bethanien, im Hause Simonis des
Aussätzigen, trat zu ihm ein Weib, die hatte ein Glas mit
köstlichem Wasser, und goss es auf sein Haupt, da er zu
Tische sass. Da das seine Jünger sahen, wurden sie
unwillig, und sprachen:
Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the
leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster
box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head,
as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had
indignation, saying:
6
4d Chorus
Wozu dienet dieser Unrat? Dieses Wasser hätte mögen
teuer verkauft, und den Armen gegeben werden.
To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have
been sold for much, and given to the poor.
4e Recitative
Evangelist
Da das Jesus merkete, sprach er zu ihnen:
Christ
Was bekümmert ihr das Weib? Sie hat ein gut Werk
an mir getan. Ihr habet allezeit Armen bei euch, mich
aber habt ihr nicht allezeit. Dass sie dies Wasser hat
auf meinen Leib gegossen, hat sie getan, dass man mich
begraben wird. Wahrlich, ich sage euch: Wo dies
Evangelium geprediget wird in der ganzen Welt, da wird
man auch sagen zu ihrem Gedächtnis, was sie getan hat.
When Jesus understood it, he said unto them:
Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good
work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but
me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this
ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I say
unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the
whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath
done, be told for a memorial of her.
(Matthew 26: 3–13)
5 Recitative (Alto 1)
Du lieber Heiland du,
Wenn deine Jünger töricht streiten,
Dass dieses fromme Weib
Mit Salben deinen Leib
Zum Grabe will bereiten,
So lasse mir inzwischen zu,
Von meiner Augen Tränenflüssen
Ein Wasser auf dein Haupt zu giessen!
Dear Saviour,
if thy disciples foolishly dispute,
that this pious woman
with ointment would prepare
thy body for the grave,
then let me meanwhile,
with tears flowing from my eyes,
anoint thy head.
6 Aria (Alto1)
Buss’ und Reu’
Knirscht das Sündenherz entzwei,
Dass die Tropfen meiner Zähren
Angenehme Spezerei,
Treuer Jesu, dir gebären.
Repentance and remorse
crush my sinful heart to pieces,
so that my teardrops, faithful Jesus,
sweet spices
may bring forth for thee.
JUDAS’S BETRAYAL
7 Recitative
Evangelist
Da ging hin der Zwölfen einer mit Namen Judas Iscarioth
zu den Hohenpriestern und sprach:
Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the
chief priests, and said unto them:
7
Judas
Was wollt ihr mir geben? Ich will ihn euch verraten.
Evangelist
Und sie boten ihm dreissig Silberlinge. Und von dem an
suchte er Gelegenheit, dass er ihn verriete.
8 Aria (Soprano 1)
Blute nur, du liebes Herz!
Ach! ein Kind, das du erzogen,
Das an deiner Brust gesogen,
Droht den Pfleger zu ermorden,
Denn es ist zur Schlange worden.
What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?
And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And
from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
(Matthew 26: 14–16)
O bleed, thou loving heart!
Alas! A child, raised by thee,
that sucked wisdom at thy breast,
threatens to destroy its nurse,
for it has turned serpent.
THE LAST SUPPER
Aber am ersten Tage der süssen Brot traten die Jünger zu
Jesu, und sprachen zu ihm:
Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the
disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him:
9b Chorus
Wo willst du, dass wir dir bereiten, das Osterlamm zu
essen?
Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the
passover?
9c Recitative
Evangelist
Er sprach:
And he said:
Christ
Gehet hin in die Stadt zu einem und sprecht zu ihm: Der
Meister lässt dir sagen: Meine Zeit ist hier, ich will bei dir
die Ostern halten mit meinen Jüngern.
Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, the
Master saith, my time is at hand; I will keep the passover at
thy house with my disciples.
Evangelist
Und die Jünger täten, wie ihnen Jesus befohlen hatte, und
bereiteten das Osterlamm. Und am Abend satzte er sich zu
Tische mit den Zwölfen; und da sie assen, sprach er:
Christ
Wahrlich, ich sage euch: Einer unter euch wird mich
verraten.
8
And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and
they made ready the passover. Now when the even was
come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he
said:
Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
9d Recitative (Evangelist)
Und sie wurden sehr betrübt, und huben an, ein jeglicher
unter ihnen, und sagten zu ihm:
And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one
of them to say unto him:
9e Chorus
Herr, bin ich’s?
Lord, is it I?
(Matthew 26: 17–22)
10 Chorale
Ich bin’s, ich sollte büssen,
An Händen und an Füssen
Gebunden in der Höll’.
Die Geisseln und die Banden,
Und was du ausgestanden,
Das hat verdienet meine Seel’.
It is I should make atonement,
bound hand and foot
in Hell.
The scourging and the fetters
and all that thou didst suffer,
these my soul deserves.
11 Recitative
Evangelist
Er antwortete und sprach:
Christ
Der mit der Hand mit mir in die Schüssel tauchet, der wird
mich verraten. Des Menschen Sohn gehet zwar dahin, wie
von ihm geschrieben stehet; doch wehe dem Menschen,
durch welchen des Menschen Sohn verraten wird! Es wäre
ihm besser, dass derselbige Mensch noch nie geboren
wäre.
And he answered and said:
He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall
betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him; but
woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It
had been good for that man if he had not been born.
Evangelist
Da antwortete Judas, der ihn verriet, und sprach:
Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said:
Judas
Bin ich’s, Rabbi?
Master, is it I?
Evangelist
Er sprach zu ihm:
He said unto him:
Christ
Du sagest’s.
Thou hast said.
Evangelist
Da sie aber assen, nahm Jesus das Brot, dankete, und
brach’s, und gab’s den Jüngern und sprach:
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it,
and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said:
9
Christ
Nehmet, esset, das ist mein Leib.
Take, eat; this is my body.
Evangelist
Und er nahm den Kelch, und dankete, gab ihnen den, und
sprach:
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them,
saying:
Christ
Trinket alle daraus; das ist mein Blut des neuen Testaments,
welches vergossen wird für viele, zur Vergebung der
Sünden. Ich sage euch: Ich werde von nun an nicht mehr
von diesem Gewächs des Weinstocks trinken, bis an den
Tag, da ich’s neu trinken werde mit euch in meines Vaters
Reich.
Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament,
which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say
unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine,
until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s
kingdom.
(Matthew 26: 23–9)
12 Recitative (Soprano 2)
Wiewohl mein Herz in Tränen schwimmt,
Dass Jesus von mir Abschied nimmt,
So macht mich doch sein Testament erfreut:
Sein Fleisch und Blut, o Kostbarkeit,
Vermacht er mir in meine Hände.
Wie er es auf der Welt mit denen Seinen
Nicht böse können meinen,
So liebt er sie bis an das Ende.
Though my heart is drowned in tears,
because Jesus takes farewell of me,
yet his testament rejoices me:
his flesh and blood, O precious gift,
he bequeaths into my hands.
As, with his own on earth,
he cannot mean them harm,
so to the end he loves them.
13 Aria (Soprano 2)
Ich will dir mein Herze schenken,
Senke dich, mein Heil, hinein.
Ich will mich in dir versenken;
Ist dir gleich die Welt zu klein,
Ei, so sollst du mir allein
Mehr als Welt und Himmel sein.
I will give my heart to thee,
sink thyself, my Saviour, in it.
I will lose myself in thee;
though earth be all too small for thee,
for me alone, ah, thou shalt be then
more than earth and heaven.
JESUS’S DESPAIR ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES
14 Recitative
Evangelist
Und da sie den Lobgesang gesprochen hatten, gingen sie
hinaus an den Ölberg. Da sprach Jesus zu ihnen:
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the
Mount of Olives. Then saith Jesus unto them:
Christ
In dieser Nacht werdet ihr euch alle ärgern an mir. Denn es
stehet geschrieben: Ich werde den Hirten schlagen, und die
All ye shall be offended because of me this night, for it is
written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock
10
Schafe der Herde werden sich zerstreuen. Wenn ich aber
auferstehe, will ich vor euch hingehen in Galiläam.
15 Chorale
Erkenne mich, mein Hüter,
Mein Hirte, nimm mich an!
Von dir, Quell aller Güter,
Ist mir viel Gut’s getan.
Dein Mund hat mich gelabet
Mit Milch und süsser Kost,
Dein Geist hat mich begabet
Mit mancher Himmelslust.
shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will
go before you into Galilee.
(Matthew 26: 30–32)
Recognise me, my guardian,
my shepherd, take me to thee,
through thee, fount of all good,
much good is done to me.
Thy mouth has revived me
with milk and sweet sustenance,
thy spirit imbued me
with many a holy longing.
16 Recitative
Evangelist
Petrus aber antwortete, und sprach zu ihm:
Peter answered and said unto him:
Peter
Wenn sie auch alle sich an dir ärgerten, so will ich doch
mich nimmermehr ärgern.
Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I
never be offended.
Evangelist
Jesus sprach zu ihm:
Jesus said to him:
Christ
Wahrlich, ich sage dir: In dieser Nacht, ehe der Hahn
krähet, wirst du mich dreimal verleugnen.
Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow,
thou shalt deny me thrice.
Evangelist
Petrus sprach zu ihm:
Peter said unto him:
Peter
Und wenn ich mit dir sterben müsste, so will ich dich
nicht verleugnen.
Evangelist
Desgleichen sagten auch alle Jünger.
Though I should die with thee yet I will not deny thee.
Likewise also said all the disciples.
(Matthew 26: 33–5)
17 Chorale
Ich will hier bei dir stehen;
Verachte mich doch nicht!
Von dir will ich nicht gehen,
I will stand beside thee here:
do not then despise me!
I will not go from thee,
11
Wenn dir dein Herze bricht.
Wenn dein Herz wird erblassen
Im letzten Todesstoss,
Alsdenn will ich dich fassen
In meinen Arm und Schoss.
when thy heart breaks.
When thy heart grows faint
in death’s final agony,
then I will fold thee in my arms
and take thee to my heart.
18 Recitative
Evangelist
Da kam Jesus mit ihnen zu einem Hofe, der hiess
Gethsemane, und sprach zu seinen Jüngern:
Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called
Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples:
Christ
Setzet euch hie, bis dass ich dort hingehe, und bete.
Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
Evangelist
Und nahm zu sich Petrum, und die zween Söhne
Zebedäi, und fing an zu trauern und zu zagen. Da
sprach Jesus zu ihnen:
And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,
and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he
unto them:
Christ
Meine Seele ist betrübt bis an den Tod, bleibet hie und
wachet mit mir.
My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, tarry ye
here and watch with me.
(Matthew 26: 36–8)
19 Recitative with Chorus
Tenor
O Schmerz!
Hier zittert das gequälte Herz!
Wie sinkt es hin, wie bleicht sein Angesicht!
O grief!
His heart throbs here in agony.
How his face falls, how it blanches!
Choir 2
Was ist die Ursach’ aller solcher Plagen?
What is the cause of such suffering?
Tenor
Der Richter führt ihn vor Gericht.
Da ist kein Trost, kein Helfer nicht.
The judge brings him to judgment.
There is no comfort, and no helper.
Choir 2
Ach! Meine Sünden haben dich geschlagen!
Alas, my sins have stricken thee!
Tenor
Er leidet alle Höllenqualen,
Er soll vor fremden Raub bezahlen.
He suffers all the pains of Hell,
he must discharge the guilt of others.
12
Choir 2
Ich, ach Herr Jesu, habe dies verschuldet,
Was du erduldet!
I, alas, Lord Jesus, have deserved
what thou endurest!
Tenor
Ach, könnte meine Liebe dir,
Mein Heil, dein Zittern und dein Zagen
Vermindern oder helfen tragen,
Wie gerne, wie gerne blieb’ ich hier!
Oh, could my love for thee, my Saviour,
make less, or help thee bear,
thy shuddering and thy fear,
how gladly, oh, how gladly would I stay here!
20 Aria (Tenor) with Chorus
Ich will bei meinem Jesu wachen.
I will keep watch with my Jesus.
Choir 2
So schlafen unsre Sünden ein.
So our sins fall to sleep.
Tenor
Meinen Tod büsset seine Seelennot,
Sein Trauren machet mich voll Freuden.
His soul’s distress redeems me from death;
his grief fills me with joy.
Choir 2
Drum muss uns sein verdienstlich Leiden
Recht bitter und doch süsse sein.
His glorious suffering, then, to us
must be full bitter and yet sweet.
PRAYER ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES
21 Recitative
Evangelist
Und ging hin ein wenig, fiel nieder auf sein Angesicht, und
betete, und sprach:
And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and
prayed, saying:
Christ
Mein Vater, ist’s möglich, so gehe dieser Kelch von
mir; doch nicht wie ich will, sondern wie du willt.
O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me;
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
22 Recitative (Bass)
Der Heiland fällt vor seinem Vater nieder;
Dadurch erhebt er mich und alle von unserm Falle
Hinauf zu Gottes Gnade wieder.
Er ist bereit, den Kelch,
Des Todes Bitterkeit zu trinken,
My Saviour falls before his Father;
thereby he raises me – and us all from our fall
into God’s grace once more.
He is ready to taste
the bitterness of death, to drink the cup
13
In welchen Sünden dieser Welt
Gegossen sind, und hässlich stinken,
Weil es dem lieben Gott gefällt.
into which the sins of this world,
hideously stinking, have been poured,
because it pleases the loving God so.
23 Aria (Bass)
Gerne will ich mich bequemen,
Kreuz und Becher anzunehmen,
Trink’ ich doch dem Heiland nach.
Denn sein Mund,
Der mit Milch und Honig fliesset,
Hat den Grund
Und des Leidens herbe Schmach
Durch den ersten Trunk versüsset.
Gladly will I agree
to take cross and cup upon myself,
if I drink after my redeemer.
For his mouth,
that flows with milk and honey,
has sweetened the dregs
and the bitter taste of suffering
by drinking first.
24 Recitative
Evangelist
Und er kam zu seinen Jüngern, und fand sie schlafend, und
sprach zu ihnen:
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep,
and saith unto them:
Christ
Könnet ihr denn nicht eine Stunde mit mir wachen?
Wachet und betet, dass ihr nicht in Anfechtung fallet!
Der Geist ist willig, aber das Fleisch ist schwach.
What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and
pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is weak.
Evangelist
Zum andernmal ging er hin, betete, und sprach:
He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying:
Christ
Mein Vater, ist’s nicht möglich, dass dieser Kelch von
mir gehe, ich trinke ihn denn, so geschehe dein Wille.
25 Chorale
Was mein Gott will, das g’scheh’ allzeit,
Sein Will’ der ist der beste;
Zu helfen den’ er ist bereit,
Die an ihn gläuben feste;
Er hilft aus Not,
Der fromme Gott,
Und züchtiget mit Massen.
Wer Gott vertraut,
Fest auf ihn baut,
Den will er nicht verlassen.
14
O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except
I drink it, thy will be done.
(Matthew 26: 40–42)
What my God wills, so be it always;
his will is best.
He is ready to succour those
who steadfastly believe in him;
He helps in time of need,
the gentle Lord,
and punishes with moderation.
The man who places his trust in God,
and builds upon him surely,
him he will not forsake.
26 Recitative
Evangelist
Und er kam und fand sie aber schlafend, und ihre Augen
waren voll Schlaf’s. Und er liess sie, und ging abermal hin,
und betete zum drittenmal, und redete dieselbigen Worte.
Da kam er zu seinen Jüngern, und sprach zu ihnen:
And he came and found them asleep again, for their eyes
were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and
prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh
he to his disciples and saith unto them:
Christ
Ach! Wollt ihr nun schlafen und ruhen? Siehe, die Stunde ist
hie, dass des Menschen Sohn in der Sünder Hände
überantwortet wird. Stehet auf, lasset uns gehen: siehe, er
ist da, der mich verrät.
Sleep on now, and take your rest; behold, the hour is at
hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of
sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that
doth betray me.
ARREST OF JESUS
Evangelist
Und als er noch redete, siehe, da kam Judas, der Zwölfen
einer, und mit ihm eine grosse Schar, mit Schwerten und mit
Stangen, von den Hohenpriestern und Ältesten des Volks.
Und der Verräter hatte ihnen ein Zeichen gegeben, und
gesagt: ‘Welchen ich küssen werde, der ist’s, den greifet!’
Und alsbald trat er zu Jesu, und sprach:
And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came,
and with him a great multitude with swords and staves,
from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he
that had betrayed him gave them a sign, saying,
‘Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; hold him fast.’
And forthwith he came to Jesus and said:
Judas
Gegrüsset sei’st du, Rabbi!
Hail, master!
Evangelist
Und küssete ihn.
Jesus aber sprach zu ihm:
And kissed him.
And Jesus said unto him:
Christ
Mein Freund, warum bist du kommen?
Friend, wherefore art thou come?
Evangelist
Da traten sie hinzu, und legten die Hände an Jesum,
und griffen ihn.
Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
(Matthew 26: 43–50)
27a Duet (Soprano 1 and Alto 2) with Chorus
Soprano 1 and Alto 2
So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen.
So now my Jesus is taken.
15
Choir 2
Lasst ihn, haltet, bindet nicht!
Let him be, stop, do not bind him!
Mond und Licht ist vor Schmerzen untergangen,
Weil mein Jesus ist gefangen.
Moon and stars for sorrow have gone down,
because my Jesus has been taken.
Choir 2
Lasst ihn, haltet, bindet nicht!
Let him be, stop, do not bind him!
Sie führen ihn, er ist gebunden.
They lead him away, he is bound.
27b Chorus
Choirs 1 and 2
Sind Blitze, sind Donner in Wolken verschwunden?
Eröffne den feurigen Abgrund, o Hölle!
Have thunder and lightning vanished in the clouds?
Open the fiery abyss, O Hell!
Choir 1
Zertrümmre …
Destroy …
Choir 2
… verderbe …
… ruin …
Choir 1
… verschlinge …
… swallow up …
Choir 2
… zerschelle …
… dash in pieces …
Choir 1
… mit plötzlicher Wut …
… in sudden wrath …
Choir 2
… mit plötzlicher Wut …
… in sudden wrath …
Choirs 1 and 2
… den falschen Verräter, das mördrische Blut!
… the false betrayer, the murderous blood!
28 Recitative
Evangelist
Und siehe, einer aus denen, die mit Jesu waren, reckete die
Hand aus, und schlug des Hohenpriesters Knecht, und hieb
ihm ein Ohr ab. Da sprach Jesus zu ihm:
16
And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus, stretched
out his hand and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and
smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him:
Christ
Stecke dein Schwert an seinen Ort; denn wer das Schwert
nimmt, der soll durchs Schwert umkommen. Oder meinest
du, dass ich nicht könnte meinen Vater bitten, dass er mir
zuschickte mehr denn zwölf Legion Engel? Wie würde aber
die Schrift erfüllet? Es muss also gehen.
Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take
the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I
cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give
me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall
the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
Evangelist
Zu der Stund’ sprach Jesus zu den Scharen:
In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes:
Christ
Ihr seid ausgegangen, als zu einem Mörder, mit Schwerten
und mit Stangen, mich zu fahen; bin ich doch täglich bei
euch gesessen, und habe gelehret im Tempel, und ihr habt
mich nicht gegriffen. Aber das ist alles geschehen, dass
erfüllet würden die Schriften der Propheten.
Evangelist
Da verliessen ihn alle Jünger, und flohen.
29 Chorale
O Mensch, bewein’ dein’ Sünde gross;
Darum Christus sein’s Vaters Schoss
Äussert, und kam auf Erden.
Von einer Jungfrau rein und zart
Für uns er hie geboren ward,
Er wollt’ der Mittler werden.
Den Toten er das Leben gab,
Und legt’ darbei all’ Krankheit ab,
Bis sich die Zeit herdrange,
Dass er für uns geopfert würd’,
Trüg unsrer Sünden schwere Bürd’
Wohl an dem Kreuze lange.
Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves
for to take me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple,
and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the
scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.
Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
(Matthew 26: 51–6)
O man, weep for thy great sin;
for this did Christ forsake his father’s bosom,
and come on earth.
Of a virgin pure and tender
he was born here for us,
he chose to be the mediator.
He raised men from the dead
and healed the sick
until the hour came
when, for us, he should be sacrificed,
and bear the heavy burden of our sins
full long upon the cross.
INTERVAL 20 minutes
17
PART TWO
30 Aria (Alto 1) with Chorus
Alto 1
Ach, nun ist mein Jesus hin!
Alas, my Jesus now is gone!
Choir 2
Wo ist denn dein Freund hingegangen,
O du Schönste unter den Weibern?
Where has thy beloved gone,
O thou fairest among women?
Alto 1
Ist es möglich, kann ich schauen?
Is it possible? Can I believe my eyes?
Choir 2
Wo hat sich dein Freund hingewandt?
Where has thy beloved strayed?
Alto 1
Ach! Mein Lamm in Tigerklauen!
Ach! Wo ist mein Jesus hin?
Alas, my lamb in tigers’ talons!
Oh, where has my Jesus gone?
Choir 2
So wollen wir mit dir ihn suchen.
Then we will seek him with thee.
Alto 1
Ach! Was soll ich der Seele sagen,
Wenn sie mich wird ängstlich fragen?
Ach! Wo ist mein Jesus hin?
Alas, what shall I tell my soul,
when it asks me in anguished fear?
Oh, where is my Jesus gone?
JESUS’S INTERROGATION BY THE HIGH PRIESTS
31 Recitative (Evangelist)
Die aber Jesum gegriffen hatten, führeten ihn zu dem
Hohenpriester Kaiphas, dahin die Schriftgelehrten und
Ältesten sich versammlet hatten. Petrus aber folgete ihm
nach von ferne, bis in den Palast des Hohenpriesters und
ging hinein, und satzte sich bei die Knechte, auf dass er
sähe, wo es hinaus wollte. Die Hohenpriester aber und
Ältesten, und der ganze Rat, suchten falsche Zeugnis wider
Jesum, auf dass sie ihn töteten, und funden keines.
18
And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to
Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders
were assembled. But Peter followed him afar off unto the
high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants,
to see the end. Now the chief priests, and elders, and all
the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to
death; but found none.
(Matthew 26: 57–60a)
32 Chorale
Mir hat die Welt trüglich gericht’
Mit Lügen und mit falschem G’dicht,
Viel Netz und heimlich Stricke.
Herr, nimm mein wahr in dieser G’fahr,
B’hüt’ mich für falschen Tücken!
The world has played me false
with lies and trickery,
many a snare and secret trap.
Lord, defend me in this peril,
save me from false cunning.
33 Recitative
Evangelist
Und wiewohl viel falsche Zeugen herzutraten, funden
sie doch keins. Zuletzt traten herzu zween falsche
Zeugen, und sprachen:
Yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they
none. At the last came two false witnesses, and said:
False Witnesses
Er hat gesagt: Ich kann den Tempel Gottes abbrechen, und
in dreien Tagen denselben bauen.
This fellow said: I am able to destroy the temple of God,
and to build it in three days.
Evangelist
Und der Hohepriester stund auf, und sprach zu ihm:
And the high priest arose, and said unto him:
High Priest
Antwortest du nichts zu dem, das diese wider dich zeugen?
Evangelist
Aber Jesus schwieg stille.
Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness
against thee?
But Jesus held his peace.
(Matthew 26: 60b–63a)
34 Recitative (Tenor)
Mein Jesus schweigt
Zu falschen Lügen stille,
Um uns damit zu zeigen,
Dass sein Erbarmens voller Wille
Vor uns zum Leider sei geneigt,
Und dass wir in dergleichen Pein
Ihm sollen ähnlich sein,
Und in Verfolgung stille schweigen.
My Jesus keeps silent
faced with false lies,
to show us thereby
that his merciful will
inclines to suffer for us,
and that we in our distress
should do as he,
and under persecution hold our peace.
35 Aria (Tenor)
Geduld, Geduld,
Wenn mich falsche Zungen stechen.
Leid’ ich wider meine Schuld,
Patience, patience,
when false tongues do sting me.
If, beyond my deserts, I yet must suffer
19
Schimpf und Spott,
Ei! So mag der liebe Gott
Meines Herzens Unschuld rächen.
mockery and abuse,
oh, then, may the dear Lord avenge
my heart’s innocence!
36a Recitative
Evangelist
Und der Hohepriester antwortete, und sprach zu ihm:
And the high priest answered and said unto him:
High Priest
Ich beschwöre dich bei dem lebendigen Gott, dass
du uns sagest, ob du seiest Christus, der Sohn Gottes?
I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether
thou be Christ, the Son of God.
Evangelist
Jesus sprach zu ihm:
Jesus saith to him:
Christ
Du sagest’s. Doch sage ich euch: Von nun an wird’s
geschehen, dass ihr sehen werdet des Menschen Sohn
sitzen zur Rechten der Kraft, und kommen in den Wolken
des Himmels.
Evangelist
Da zerriss der Hohepriester seine Kleider, und sprach:
High Priest
Er hat Gott gelästert; was dürfen wir weiter Zeugnis?
Siehe, itzt habt ihr seine Gotteslästerung gehöret. Was
dünket euch?
Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, hereafter shall
ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power,
and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying:
He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of
witnesses? Behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What
think ye ?
Evangelist
Sie antworteten und sprachen:
They answered and said:
36b Chorus
Er ist des Todes schuldig!
He is guilty of death!
Da speieten sie aus in sein Angesicht, und schlugen
ihn mit Fäusten. Etliche aber schlugen ihn ins Angesicht, und Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others
sprachen:
smote him with the palms of their hands, saying:
36d Chorus
Weissage, weissage, weissage uns, Christe, wer ist’s, der
dich schlug?
20
Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who is he that smote thee?
(Matthew 26: 63b–68)
37 Chorale
Wer hat dich so geschlagen,
Mein Heil, und dich mit Plagen
So übel zugericht?
Du bist ja nicht ein Sünder,
Wie wir und unsre Kinder;
Von Missetaten weisst du nicht.
Who has beaten thee so,
my Saviour, and with torments
so cruelly vexed and plagued thee?
Thou art no sinner,
as we and our children are,
of misdeeds thou knowest naught.
PETER’S DENIAL
38a Recitative
Evangelist
Petrus aber sass draussen im Palast; und es trat zu ihm eine
Magd, und sprach:
Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came
unto him, saying:
First Maid
Und du warest auch mit dem Jesu aus Galiläa.
Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
Evangelist
Er leugnete aber vor ihnen allen, und sprach:
But he denied them all, saying:
Peter
Ich weiss nicht, was du sagest.
I know not what thou sayest.
Evangelist
Als er aber zur Tür hinausging, sahe ihn eine andere,
und sprach, zu denen, die da waren:
And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid
saw him, and said unto them that were there:
Second Maid
Dieser war auch mit dem Jesu von Nazareth.
This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
Evangelist
Und er leugnete abermal, und schwur dazu:
And again he denied with an oath:
Peter
Ich kenne des Menschen nicht.
I do not know the man.
Evangelist
Und über eine kleine Weile traten hinzu, die da stunden,
und sprachen zu Petro:
And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and
said unto Peter:
21
38b Chorus
Wahrlich, du bist auch einer von denen; denn deine
Sprache verrät dich.
Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech betrayeth
thee.
38c Recitative
Evangelist
Da hub er an, sich zu verfluchen und zu schwören:
Then began he to curse and to swear, saying:
Peter
Ich kenne des Menschen nicht.
I know not the man.
Evangelist
Und alsbald krähete der Hahn. Da dachte Petrus an die
Worte Jesu, da er zu ihm sagte: Ehe der Hahn krähen wird,
wirst du mich dreimal verleugnen. Und ging heraus, und
weinete bitterlich.
And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the
word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow,
thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept
bitterly.
(Matthew 26: 69–75)
39 Aria (Alto 1)
Erbarme dich, mein Gott,
Um meiner Zähren willen.
Schaue hier, Herz und Auge
Weint vor dich bitterlich.
Have mercy, my God,
for the sake of my tears.
See here before thee,
heart and eyes weep bitterly.
40 Chorale
Bin ich gleich von dir gewichen,
Stell’ ich mich doch wieder ein;
Hat uns doch dein Sohn verglichen
Durch sein’ Angst und Todespein.
Ich verleugne nicht die Schuld,
Aber deine Gnad’ und Huld
Ist viel grösser als die Sünde,
Die ich stets in mir befinde.
Though I turned away from thee,
yet I have again returned;
for thy son has reconciled us
through his agony and mortal pain.
I do not deny my offence,
but thy mercy and thy grace
are much greater than the sin
I find forever present in me.
JUDAS IN THE TEMPLE
41a Recitative
Evangelist
Des Morgens aber hielten alle Hohepriester und
die Ältesten des Volks einen Rat über Jesum, dass
sie ihn töteten. Und bunden ihn, führeten ihn hin, und
überantworteten ihn dem Landpfleger Pontio Pilato. Da das
22
When the morning was come, all the chief priests and
elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him
to death. And when they had bound him, they led him
away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor.
sahe Judas, der ihn verraten hatte, dass er verdammt war
zum Tode, gereuete es ihn, und brachte herwieder die
dreissig Silberlinge den Hohenpriestern und Ältesten, und
sprach:
Judas
Ich habe übel getan, dass ich unschuldig Blut verraten
habe.
Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he
was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the
thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying:
I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.
Evangelist
Sie sprachen:
And they said:
41b Chorus
Was gehet uns das an? Da siehe du zu.
What is that to us? See thou to that.
41c Recitative
Evangelist
Und er warf die Silberlinge in den Tempel, hub sich
davon, ging hin und erhängete sich selbst. Aber die
Hohenpriester nahmen die Silberlinge, und sprachen:
Chief Priests
Es taugt nicht, dass wir sie in den Gotteskasten legen,
denn es ist Blutgeld.
42 Aria (Baritone)
Gebt mir meinen Jesum wieder!
Seht, das Geld, den Mörderlohn,
Wirft euch der verlorne Sohn
Zu den Füssen nieder.
And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and
departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief
priests took the silver pieces, and said:
It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is
the price of blood.
(Matthew 27: 1–6)
Give me back my Jesus!
Behold the money, the wages of murder,
the lost son flings it
down at your feet.
JESUS BEFORE PILATE
43 Recitative
Evangelist
Sie hielten aber einen Rat, und kauften einen Töpfersacker
darum, zum Begräbnis der Pilger. Daher ist derselbige
Acker genennet der Blutacker, bis auf den heutigen Tag. Da
ist erfüllet, das gesagt ist durch den Propheten Jeremias, da
er spricht: ‘Sie haben genommen dreissig Silberlinge, damit
bezahlet ward der Verkaufte, welchen sie kauften von den
And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s
field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called
the field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that
which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ‘And
they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was
valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value, and
23
Kindern Israel; und haben sie gegeben um einen
Töpfersacker, als mir der Herr befohlen hat.’ Jesus aber
stund vor dem Landpfleger, und der Landpfleger fragte
ihn, und sprach:
gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.’
And Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor
asked him, saying:
Pilate
Bist du der Jüden König?
Art thou the King of the Jews?
Evangelist
Jesus aber sprach zu ihm:
And Jesus said unto them:
Christ
Du sagest’s.
Thou sayest.
Evangelist
Und da er verklagt war von den Hohenpriestern und
Ältesten, antwortete er nichts. Da sprach Pilatus zu ihm:
And when he was accused of the high priests and elders,
he answered nothing. Then Pilate said unto him:
Pilate
Hörest du nicht, wie hart sie dich verklagen?
Evangelist
Und er antwortete ihm nicht auf ein Wort, also, dass
sich auch der Landpfleger sehr verwunderte.
44 Chorale
Befiehl du deine Wege
Und was dein Herze kränkt
Der allertreusten Pflege
Des, der den Himmel lenkt.
Der Wolken, Luft und Winden
Gibt Wege, Lauf und Bahn,
Der wird auch Wege finden
Da dein Fuss gehen kann!
Hearest thou not how many things they witness against
thee?
And he answered to him never a word: insomuch that the
governor marvelled greatly.
(Matthew 27: 7–14)
Commend thy ways
and whatever ails thy heart
to the most faithful care
of him, who directs the heavens.
He, that orders the paths, ways and
courses of the clouds, winds and air,
will find ways also
for thy feet to go!
45a Recitative
Evangelist
Auf das Fest aber hatte der Landpfleger Gewohnheit,
dem Volk einen Gefangenen loszugeben, welchen sie
wollten. Er hatte aber zu der Zeit einen Gefangenen,
einen sonderlichen vor andern, der hiess Barrabas.
Und da sie versammlet waren, sprach Pilatus zu ihnen:
24
Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto
the people a prisoner, whom they would. And they had
then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. Therefore when
they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them:
Pilate
Welchen wollet ihr, dass ich euch losgebe? Barrabam, oder
Jesum, von dem gesaget wird, er sei Christus?
Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus
which is called Christ?
Evangelist
Denn er wusste wohl, dass sie ihn aus Neid überantwortet
hatten. Und da er auf dem Richtstuhl sass, schickete sein
Weib zu ihm und liess ihm sagen:
For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. When he
was set down on the judgement seat, his wife sent unto him,
saying:
Pilate’s Wife
Habe du nichts zu schaffen mit diesem Gerechten, ich
habe heute viel erlitten im Traum von seinetwegen!
Have thou nothing to do with that just man, for I have
suffered many things this day in a dream because of him!
Evangelist
Aber die Hohenpriester und die Ältesten überredeten
das Volk, dass sie um Barrabas bitten sollten, und Jesum
umbrächten. Da antwortete nun der Landpfleger, und
sprach zu ihnen:
But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude
that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The
governor answered and said unto them:
Pilate
Welchen wollt ihr unter diesen zweien, den ich euch
soll losgeben?
Which of the twain will ye that I release unto you?
Evangelist
Sie sprachen:
They said:
Chorus
Barrabam!
Barabbas!
Evangelist
Pilatus sprach zu ihnen:
Pilate saith unto them:
Pilate
Was soll ich denn machen mit Jesu, von dem gesagt wird,
er sei Christus?
What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?
Evangelist
Sie sprachen alle:
They all said unto him:
45b Chorus
Lass ihn kreuzigen!
Let him be crucified!
(Matthew 27: 15–22)
25
46 Chorale
Wie wunderbarlich ist doch diese Strafe!
Der gute Hirte leidet für die Schafe,
Die Schuld bezahlt der Herre, der Gerechte,
Für seine Knechte.
How wondrous strange indeed is this punishment!
The good shepherd suffers for the sheep,
the master, upright and just,
pays his servant’s debt.
47 Recitative
Evangelist
Der Landpfleger sagte:
And the governor said:
Pilate
Was hat er denn Übels getan?
Why, what evil hath he done?
(Matthew 27: 23a)
48 Recitative (Soprano 2)
Er hat uns allen wohlgetan.
Den Blinden gab er das Gesicht,
Die Lahmen macht’ er gehend;
Er sagt’ uns seines Vaters Wort,
Er trieb die Teufel fort;
Betrübte hat er aufgericht;
Er nahm die Sünder auf und an;
Sonst hat mein Jesus nichts getan.
He has done good to us all.
To the blind he gave sight,
he made the lame to walk;
he preached his Father’s word to us,
he cast out evil spirits;
the downcast he took up;
he raised and took unto him sinners;
else has my Jesus nothing done.
49 Aria (Soprano 2)
Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben
Von einer Sünde weiss er nichts,
Dass das ewige Verderben
Und die Strafe des Gerichts
Nicht auf meiner Seele bliebe.
For love will my Redeemer die
(he is unacquainted with sin),
so that eternal damnation
and the penalty of judgement
may not rest upon my soul.
Sie schrieen aber noch mehr, und sprachen:
But they cried the more, saying:
50b Chorus
Lass ihn kreuzigen!
Let him be crucified!
50c Recitative
Evangelist
Da aber Pilatus sahe, dass er nichts schaffete, sondern
dass ein viel grösser Getümmel ward, nahm er Wasser, und
wusch die Hände vor dem Volk, und sprach:
26
When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that
rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his
hands before the multitude, saying:
Pilate
Ich bin unschuldig an dem Blut dieses Gerechten: sehet ihr
zu.
I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
Evangelist
Da antwortete das ganze Volk, und sprach:
Then answered all the people, and said:
50d Chorus
Sein Blut komme über uns und unsre Kinder!
His blood be on us, and on our children!
50e Recitative (Evangelist)
Da gab er ihnen Barrabam los; aber Jesum liess er
geisseln, und überantwortete ihn, dass er gekreuziget
würde.
Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had
scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
(Matthew 27: 23b–26)
Erbarm es Gott!
Hier steht der Heiland angebunden.
O Geisselung, o Schläg, o Wunden!
Ihr Henker, haltet ein!
Erweichet euch der Seelen Schmerz,
Der Anblick solches Jammers nicht?
Ach ja! Ihr habt ein Herz,
Das muss der Martersäule gleich
Und noch viel härter sein.
Erbarmt euch, haltet ein!
Have mercy O God!
Here stands the Saviour bound.
O scourging, O blows, O wounds!
You butchers, stay your hands!
Does the suffering of his soul and the
sight of such distress not soften you?
Why, yes, you have hearts!
They must be like the pillar of his martyrdom,
and harder yet by far.
Have mercy, stay your hands!
52 Aria (Alto 2)
Können Tränen meiner Wangen
Nichts erlangen,
O, so nehmt mein Herz hinein!
Aber lasst es bei den Fluten,
Wenn die Wunden milde bluten,
Auch die Opferschale sein.
If the tears on my cheeks
are of no avail,
oh then, take my heart!
But let it also be the sacrificial chalice
for the drops that flow
from his gently bleeding wounds.
Da nahmen die Kriegsknechte des Landpflegers Jesum zu
sich in das Richthaus, und sammleten über ihn die ganze
Schar; und zogen ihn aus, und legeten ihm einen
Purpurmantel an; und flochten eine dornene Krone, und
satzten sie auf sein Haupt, und ein Rohr in seine rechte
Hand, und beugeten die Knie vor ihm, und spotteten ihn,
und sprachen:
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the
common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of
soldiers; and they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet
robe; and when they had plaited a crown of thorns, they
put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand, and they
bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying:
27
53b Chorus
Gegrüsset seist du, Jüdenkönig!
Und speieten ihn an, und nahmen das Rohr, und schlugen
damit sein Haupt.
Hail, King of the Jews!
And they spat upon him, and took the reed, and smote him
on the head.
(Matthew 27: 27–30)
54 Chorale
O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden,
Voll Schmerz und voller Hohn!
O Haupt, zu Spott gebunden
Mit einer Dornenkron’!
O Haupt, sonst schön gezieret
Mit höchster Ehr’ und Zier,
Jetzt aber hoch schimpfieret:
Gegrüsset seist du mir!
O head marked with blood and wounds,
full of pain and scorned!
O head, bound for mockery
with a crown of thorns!
O head, once splendidly adorned
with highest honour and radiance,
but now how greatly outraged:
receive my homage!
Du edles Angesichte,
Dafür sonst schrickt und scheut
Das grosse Weltgewichte,
Wie bist du so bespeit!
Wie bist du so erbleichet,
Wer hat dein Augenlicht,
Dem sonst kein Licht nicht gleichet,
So schändlich zugericht’?
Thou noble countenance,
before which, otherwhiles,
the last tremendous judgement recoils
and is affrighted, how art thou spat upon!
How is it thou art so pallid and so wan?
Who has so shamefully obscured
the light of thine eyes, the which no other light
can equal, to such a pitiful state?
SIMON OF CYRENE
55 Recitative (Evangelist)
Und da sie ihn verspottet hatten, zogen sie ihm den Mantel
aus, und zogen ihm sein Kleider an, und führeten ihn hin,
dass sie ihn kreuzigten. Und indem sie hinausgingen,
funden sie einen Menschen von Kyrene, mit Namen Simon;
den zwungen sie, dass er ihm sein Kreuz trug.
56 Recitative (Baritone)
Ja, freilich will in uns das Fleisch und Blut
Zum Kreuz gezwungen sein;
Je mehr es unsrer Seele gut,
Je herber geht es ein.
28
And after they had mocked him, they took the robe off from
him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to
crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of
Cyrene, Simon by name; him they compelled to bear his
cross.
(Matthew 27: 31–2)
Yea, this flesh and blood of ours
will gladly be compelled to bear the cross;
the better for our souls it is,
the bitterer it is.
57 Aria (Baritone)
Komm, süsses Kreuz, so will ich sagen,
Mein Jesu, gib es immer her!
Wird mir mein Leiden einst zu schwer,
So hilfst du mir es selber tragen.
Come, sweet cross, then I will say,
my Jesus, lay it on me!
Should my suffering ever prove too great
help thou me then to bear it.
CRUCIFIXION
Und da sie an die Stätte kamen mit Namen Golgatha, das
ist verdeutschet Schädelstätt’, gaben sie ihm Essig zu trinken
mit Gallen vermischet; und da er’s schmeckete, wollte er’s
nicht trinken. Da sie ihn aber gekreuziget hatten, teilten sie
seine Kleider, und wurfen das Los darum; auf dass erfüllet
würde, das gesagt ist durch den Propheten: ‘Sie haben
meine Kleider unter sich geteilet, und über mein Gewand
haben sie das Los geworfen.’ Und sie sassen allda, und
hüteten sein. Und oben zu seinen Häupten hefteten sie die
Ursach seines Todes beschrieben, nämlich: ‘Dies ist Jesus,
der Jüden König.’ Und da wurden zween Mörder mit ihm
gekreuziget, einer zur Rechten, und einer zur Linken. Die
aber vorübergingen lästerten ihn, und schüttelten ihre
Köpfe, und sprachen:
And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha,
that is to say, a place of a skull, they gave him vinegar to
drink mingled with gall; and when he had tasted thereof,
he would not drink. And they crucified him and parted his
garments, casting lots; that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophets: ‘They parted my garments among
them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.’ And sitting
down they watched him there. And set up over his head his
accusation written: ‘This is Jesus the King of the Jews.’ Then
were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right
hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by
reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying:
58b Chorus
Der du den Tempel Gottes zerbrichst, und bauest ihn
in dreien Tagen, hilf dir selber! Bist du Gottes Sohn, so steig
herab vom Kreuz!
Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three
days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down
from the cross.
Desgleichen auch die Hohenpriester spotteten sein,
samt den Schriftgelehrten und Ältesten, und sprachen:
Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes
and elders said:
58d Chorus
Andern hat er geholfen, und kann ihm selber nicht helfen.
Ist er der König Israel, so steige er nun vom Kreuz, so
wollen wir ihm glauben. Er hat Gott vertrauet, der erlöse
ihn nun, lüstet’s ihn; denn er hat gesagt: Ich bin Gottes
Sohn.
He saved others: himself he cannot save. If he be the King
of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we
will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now,
if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
Desgleichen schmäheten ihn auch die Mörder, die mit
ihm gekreuziget waren.
The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the
same in his teeth.
(Matthew 27: 33–44)
29
Ach, Golgatha, unsel’ges Golgatha!
Der Herr der Herrlichkeit
Muss schimpflich hier verderben,
Der Segen und das Heil der Welt
Wird als ein Fluch ans Kreuz gestellt.
Der Schöpfer Himmels und der Erden
Soll Erd und Luft entzogen werden;
Die Unschuld muss hier schuldig sterben:
Das gehet meiner Seele nah:
Ach, Golgatha, unsel’ges Golgatha!
Ah, Golgotha, unhappy Golgotha!
The King of Glory
must basely pass away here,
the blessing and salvation of the world
is set, like a curse, upon the cross.
The maker of heaven and earth
shall be deprived of earth and air;
the guiltless one must die here guilty:
it pierces my soul to the very quick.
Ah, Golgotha, unhappy Golgotha!
60 Aria (Alto 1) with Chorus
Alto 1
Sehet! Sehet, Jesus hat die Hand,
Uns zu fassen ausgespannt; kommt!
Behold! See, Jesus has his hand
outstretched to grasp us; come!
Choir 2
Wohin?
Where?
Alto 1
… in Jesu Armen
Sucht Erlösung, nehmt Erbarmen;
Suchet!
… In Jesu’s arms.
Seek salvation, receive grace;
seek!
Choir 2
Wo?
Where?
Alto 1
In Jesu Armen.
Lebet, lebet, sterbet, ruhet hier,
Ihr verlass’nen Küchlein ihr,
Bleibet …
In Jesu’s arms.
Live, live, die, repose here,
ye forsaken lambs ye,
remain …
Choir 2
Wo?
Where?
Alto 1
… in Jesu Armen.
… in Jesu’s arms.
30
61a Recitative
Evangelist
Und von der sechsten Stunde an war eine Finsternis
über das ganze Land, bis zu der neunten Stunde. Und um
die neunte Stunde schriee Jesus laut, und sprach:
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the
land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus
cried with a loud voice, saying:
Christ
Eli, Eli, lama asabthani?
Eli, Eli, lama asabthani?
Evangelist
Das ist: Mein Gott, mein Gott, warum hast du mich
verlassen? Etliche aber, die da stunden, da sie das höreten,
sprachen sie:
That is to say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that,
said:
61b Chorus
Der rufet dem Elias!
This man calleth for Elias!
Und bald lief einer unter ihnen, nahm einen Schwamm, und And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and
füllete ihn mit Essig, und steckete ihn auf ein Rohr, und
filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to
tränkete ihn. Die Andern aber sprachen:
drink. The rest said:
61d Chorus
Halt, halt, lass sehen, ob Elias komme, und ihm helfe?
Aber Jesus schriee abermal laut, und verschied.
62 Chorale
Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden,
So scheide nicht von mir.
Wenn ich den Tod soll leiden,
So tritt du dann herfür!
Wenn mir am allerbängsten
Wird um das Herze sein,
So reiss mich aus den Ängsten
Kraft deiner Angst und Pein!
Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded
up the ghost.
(Matthew 27: 45–50)
When at last I must depart,
depart thou not then from me.
When I must endure death,
hasten thou then hither!
When my heart
is most afraid,
snatch me out of anguish
through thine own anguish and pain!
31
Und siehe da, der Vorhang im Tempel zerriss in zwei
Stück, von obenan bis untenaus; und die Erde erbebete,
und die Felsen zerrissen, und die Gräber täten sich auf,
und stunden auf viel Leiber der Heiligen, die da schliefen;
und gingen aus den Gräbern nach seiner Auferstehung,
und kamen in die heilige Stadt, und erschienen vielen. Aber
der Hauptmann, und die bei ihm waren, und bewahreten
Jesum, da sie sahen das Erdbeben, und was da geschah,
erschraken sie sehr, und sprachen:
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from
the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the
rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies
of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves
after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and
appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they
that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake,
and those things that were done, they feared greatly,
saying:
63b Chorus
Wahrlich, dieser ist Gottes Sohn gewesen.
Truly, this was the Son of God.
DESCENT FROM THE CROSS
Und es waren viel Weiber da, die von ferne zusahen,
die da waren nachgefolget aus Galiläa, und hatten ihm
gedienet; unter welchen war Maria Magdalena, und
Maria, die Mutter Jacobi und Joses, und die Mutter der
Kinder Zebedäi. Am Abend aber kam ein reicher Mann
von Arimathia, der hiess Joseph, welcher auch ein Jünger
Jesu war, der ging zu Pilato, und bat ihn um den Leichnam
Jesu. Da befahl Pilatus, man sollte ihm ihn geben.
64 Recitative (Bass)
Am Abend, da es kühle war,
Ward Adams Fallen offenbar;
Am Abend drücket ihn der Heiland nieder;
Am Abend kam die Taube wieder
Und trug ein Ölblatt in dem Munde.
O schöne Zeit! O Abendstunde!
Der Friedensschluss ist nun mit Gott gemacht:
Denn Jesus hat sein Kreuz vollbracht.
Sein Leichnam kömmt zur Ruh.
Ach! Liebe Seele, bitte du,
Geh, lasse dir den toten Jesum schenken,
O heilsames, o köstlich’s Angedenken!
32
And many women were there beholding afar off, which
followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him; among
which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.
When the even was come, there came a rich man of
Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’s
disciple. He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.
Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
(Matthew 27: 51–8)
At evening, when it was cool,
Adam’s fall was manifest;
at evening the Saviour redeemed it;
at evening the dove returned again
bearing an olive leaf in its beak.
O lovely time! O evening hour!
Peace with God is now concluded;
for Jesus has endured his cross;
his body comes to rest.
O dear soul, ask thou,
go, bid them give thee the dead Jesus,
O most holy, O precious memorial!
65 Aria (Bass)
Mache dich, mein Herze, rein,
Ich will Jesum selbst begraben.
Denn er soll nunmehr in mir
Für und für
Seine süsse Ruhe haben.
Welt, geh’ aus, lass Jesum ein!
Purify thyself, my heart,
I myself will bury Jesus.
For he shall henceforth
evermore
sweetly take his rest in me.
World, go hence, let Jesus in!
BURIAL
Und Joseph nahm den Leib, und wickelte ihn in ein
rein Leinwand, und legte ihn in sein eigen neu Grab,
welches er hatte lassen in einen Fels hauen; und wälzete
einen grossen Stein vor die Tür des Grabes, und ging
davon. Es war aber allda Maria Magdalena, und die
andere Maria, die satzten sich gegen das Grab. Des
andern Tages, der da folget nach dem Rüsttage, kamen die
Hohenpriester und Pharisäer sämtlich zu Pilato, und
sprachen:
And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a
clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he
had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the
door of the sepulchre, and departed. And there was Mary
Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the
sepulchre. Now the next day, that followed the day of the
preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together
unto Pilate, saying:
66b Chorus
Herr, wir haben gedacht, dass dieser Verführer sprach,
da er noch lebete: Ich will nach dreien Tagen wieder
auferstehen. Darum befiehl, dass man das Grab verwahre
bis an den dritten Tag, auf dass nicht seine Jünger
kommen, und stehlen ihn, und sagen zu dem Volk: Er ist
auferstanden von den Toten; und werde der letzte Betrug
ärger, denn der erste!
Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet
alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore
that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his
disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto
the people, he is risen from the dead: so the last error shall
be worse than the first!
66c Recitative
Evangelist
Pilatus sprach zu ihnen:
Pilate
Da habt ihr die Hüter; gehet hin, und verwahret’s,
wie ihrs wisset.
Evangelist
Sie gingen hin, und verwahreten das Grab mit Hütern, und
versiegelten den Stein.
Pilate said unto them:
Ye have a watch; go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the
stone and setting a watch.
(Matthew 27: 59–66)
33
67 Recitative (Soprano 2, Alto 1, Tenor and Bass)
with Chorus
Bass
Nun ist der Herr zur Ruh’ gebracht.
Now the Lord is laid to rest.
Choir 2
Mein Jesu, mein Jesu, gute Nacht!
My Jesu, now goodnight!
Tenor
Die Müh’ ist aus, die unsre Sünden ihm gemacht.
The toil our sins did make for him is done.
Choir 2
Alto 1
O selige Gebeine,
Seht, wie ich euch mit Buss und Reu beweine,
Dass euch mein Fall in solche Not gebracht!
O sacred body,
see how, repentant and filled with remorse, I mourn thee,
that my fall should have brought thee to such distress!
Choir 2
Soprano 2
Habt lebenslang
Vor euer Leiden tausend Dank,
Dass ihr mein Seelenheil so wert geacht’.
As long as life shall last, be thanked
for thy passion a thousand times,
that thou held’st my soul’s welfare so dear.
Choir 2
68 Chorus
Choirs 1 and 2
Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder
Und rufen dir im Grabe zu:
Ruhe sanfte, sanfte ruh’!
We sit upon the ground in tears
and call to thee in the grave:
sweet repose, rest sweetly!
Choir 1
Ruh’t, ihr ausgesognen Glieder!
Rest, you weary limbs!
Choir 2
Ruhet sanfte, ruhet wohl!
Gently rest, rest well!
34
Choir 1
Euer Grab und Leichenstein
Soll dem ängstlichen Gewissen
Ein bequemes Ruhekissen
Und der Seelen, Ruhstatt …
Your sepulchre and tombstone
to the troubled conscience
a soft pillow
and for the soul a resting place …
Choir 2
Ruhet sanfte, sanfte ruh’t!
Rest sweetly, sweet repose!
Choir 1
… der Seelen Ruhstatt sein.
Höchst vergnugt,
Schlummern da die Augen ein.
… for the soul a resting place shall be.
In highest contentment,
eyes close there in slumber.
Choirs 1 and 2
Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder
Und rufen dir im grabe zu:
Ruhe sanfte, sanfte ruh’!
We sit upon the ground in tears
and call to thee in the grave:
sweet repose, rest sweetly!
Text by Christian Friedrich Henrici, alias Picander (1700–64),
and the Gospel according to St Matthew, Chapters 26 and 27
Translation by Peggy Cochrane, reproduced by kind permission
of Decca International
35
About the performers
Born in Milan, Riccardo Chailly
is in much demand in concert
halls throughout the world. He
took up the position of Music
Director of the Gewandhaus
Orchestra in 2005. In addition,
he has conducted the Berlin,
Munich, New York and Vienna
Philharmonic orchestras, the
London and Chicago
Symphony orchestras, the
Cleveland Orchestra and the
Philadelphia Orchestra. He made his operatic debut at
La Scala, Milan, and has since appeared at the Vienna
State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera
House, Covent Garden, the Bavarian State Opera and
Zurich Opera. He has also appeared as guest conductor
at Salzburg’s Easter Festival and the Lucerne Festival.
His repertoire ranges from the great standard works to
those of the 20th century. Following positions with the
London Philharmonic and Berlin Radio Symphony
orchestras, and at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, he
held the post of Chief Conductor of the Amsterdam
Concertgebouw Orchestra from 1988 to 2004. He toured
extensively with the orchestra, including to the major
European festivals (the Vienna Festival and the BBC
Proms, among others), to the USA, Canada, Japan,
South America, China, Korea and Taiwan. He was also
Music Director of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano
Giuseppe Verdi from 1999 to 2005.
Riccardo Chailly’s discography includes over 100 CDs
as well as DVDs. He has won many awards, including
several Edison Prizes and ECHO Klassik and
Gramophone awards, as well as the Diapason d’Or.
Recent releases include Brahms’s Double and Violin
concertos with Vadim Repin and Truls Mørk, while a disc
of Mendelssohn and Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos,
Christmas Oratorio and St Matthew Passion are
forthcoming.
36
Christina Landshamer soprano
Anne Hoffmann
Gert Mothes
Riccardo Chailly Gewandhauskapellmeister
Christina Landshamer studied
in Munich under Angelica
Vogel and subsequently in
Konrad Richter’s Lieder class
and Dunja Vejzoviç’s soloist
classes in Stuttgart. She has
already received numerous
awards.
In concert and opera she has
worked with many leading
conductors, including Marc
Albrecht, Marcus Creed, Gabriel Feltz, Raphael
Frühbeck de Burgos, Philippe Herreweghe, Manfred
Honeck, Yakov Kreizberg, Helmuth Rilling, Ulf Schirmer,
Peter Schreier and Masaaki Suzuki. In 2006 she made
her debut at the Staatsoper Stuttgart as Berta in The
Barber of Seville and was invited back for Cinna in Lucio
Silla, Frasquita in Carmen, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and
Amor in Orphée et Euridice. Last year she sang
Marzelline in Fidelio under Marc Albrecht at the Opéra
du Rhin in Strasbourg. This year she makes her debut as
Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro for the Komische
Oper Berlin.
Among the ensembles with which Christina Landshamer
has worked are Collegium Vocale Gent, Freiburg
Barockorchester, NDR Radio Philharmonie, both
orchestras of Bavarian Radio, Orchestre des ChampsÉlysées, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre
Philharmonique de Strasbourg and the Zurich Tonhalle
Orchestra. She has sung at the Wiener Festwochen, the
Salzburger Mozartwoche, the Berliner and
Ludwigsburger Festspiele, and the Rheingau and
Herrenchiemsee festivals.
She will record Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Riccardo
Chailly following tonight’s performance.
Marie-Claude Chappuis mezzo-soprano
Johannes Chum tenor Evangelist
Born in Fribourg in
Johannes Chum’s
Switzerland, Marie-Claude
appearances this season
Chappuis studied singing at
include Belmonte (Die
the conservatoire of her native
Entführung aus dem Serail)
city and then at the Mozarteum
at the Lucerne Festival,
in Salzburg with Breda
Festspielhaus St Pölten and in
Zakotnik. She went on to sing
Freiburg, Ferrando (Così fan
at the Landestheater,
tutte) for the Komische Oper
Innsbruck, under the artistic
Berlin and Graz and the titledirection of Brigitte
role in La clemenza di Tito in
Fassbaender, where her roles
Prague.
included Carmen, Hänsel
On the concert platform he is singing Mendelssohn’s
(Hänsel und Gretel), Charlotte (Werther), Sesto (La
Elijah and Martin’s In terra pax at the Vienna
clemenza di Tito) and Armindo (Handel’s Partenope).
Musikverein, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in Zurich and
She has sung many roles under René Jacobs, including
Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 in Prague.
Messaggiera and Proserpina (Monteverdi’s Orfeo),
Highlights of recent seasons include a new production of
Ottavia (L’incoronazione di Poppaea) and in
Kata Kabanova as well as Così fan tutte with Kirill
Monteverdi’s Vespers as well as in many other concerts
Petrenko, Idomeneo with Paul Goodwin, La clemenza di
and recordings including Annio in Jacobs’s GrammyTito under Alessandro de Marchi and Monteverdi’s
nominated La clemenza di Tito.
Orfeo and Vespers with René Jacobs. The latter is a
At the Grand Théâtre de Genève, she has sung Anna
regular collaborator and Johannes Chum has also
(Les Troyens), Penelope (Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in performed with him Conti’s rarely heard Don Chisciotte
Patria) as well as Ottavia and Annio. For Zurich Opera
in Sierra Morena in Innsbruck.
she has sung Sesto (La clemenza) under Adám Fischer as
He is also much in demand at festivals, and has sung
well as Lazuli (Chabrier’s L’Étoile), conducted by Sir John
in Haydn’s L’isola disabitata at the International Haydn
Eliot Gardiner.
Festival, The Marriage of Figaro under Sir Charles
Mackerras at the Salzburg Festival, The Magic Flute
Marie-Claude Chappuis also sings regularly with
under Harry Kupfer at the Salzburger Mozartwoche, as
Riccardo Chailly, John Nelson and Giovanni Antonini
well as appearances at the Bregenz and Schwetzinger
at many prestigious venues including the Berlin
festivals.
Philharmonie and Berlin State Opera, the Leipzig
Gewandhaus, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and
In the concert hall he has previously sung in Berlioz’s
at the Aix-en-Provence Festival.
Benvenuto Cellini under Sir Roger Norrington, Haydn’s
Die Schöpfung under Philippe Herreweghe at the
Recent and upcoming projects include Paisiello’s
Il matrimonio inaspettato with Riccardo Muti in
Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and both the St John and
Salzburg, Ravenna and Piacenza, Idamante (Idomeneo) St Matthew Passions under tonight’s conductor in Milan.
with Nikolaus Harnoncourt at the Styriarte Festival,
Bach’s B minor Mass with Sir Roger Norrington and
Ton Koopman and Mozart’s Mass in C minor at the
Salzburg Festival.
37
Thomas Quasthoff bass-baritone
The young German tenor
Maximilian Schmitt discovered
his love for music early on,
as a choirboy with the
Regensburger Domspatzen.
He subsequently studied at
Berlin University of the Arts
and in 2005–6 was a member
of the Young Ensemble at the
Bavarian State Opera,
Munich, as well as gaining
experience via masterclasses
with Ann Murray and Robert Dean Smith.
The German bass-baritone
Thomas Quasthoff is
acclaimed as one of the most
remarkable singers of his
generation. A frequent guest
of both the Berlin and the
Vienna Philharmonic
orchestras, he appears
regularly with the world’s
leading ensembles under such
renowned conductors as
Claudio Abbado, Daniel
Barenboim, Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, Kurt
Masur, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling,
Christian Thielemann and Franz Welser-Möst.
While still in the Young Ensemble, he made his debut at
the Salzburg Landestheater as Tamino in The Magic
Flute and has also performed roles in Roberto Devereux
and Il turco in Italia in Munich. At the beginning of this
season he began a two-year contract with Mannheim
State Theatre, where he will perform operas by Mozart
and Wagner.
In concert he has worked with conductors such as
Marcus Creed, Leopold Hager, Daniel Harding, Thomas
Hengelbrock, Andrew Manze, Trevor Pinnock and
Ulf Schirmer.
Jim Rakete/DG
Maximilian Schmitt tenor
He made his operatic debut in 2003, as Don Fernando
(Fidelio) under Sir Simon Rattle at the Salzburg
Easter Festival. This was followed by his debut at the
Vienna Staatsoper in the role of Amfortas (Parsifal)
under Donald Runnicles, a role he reprised under Rattle
in 2005.
Recent highlights include appearances with the Vienna
and Berlin Philharmonic orchestras, the Berliner
Barocksolisten, Boston Symphony Orchestra, a residency
at the Wigmore Hall, recitals in Berlin, Boston and at the
Salzburg and Schubertiade (Schwarzenberg) festivals.
Recent highlights include performances of Bach’s B minor
His discography ranges from Bach to jazz and includes
Mass and St Matthew Passion and the title-role in a
Lieder by Brahms, Liszt, Mahler and Schubert, German
concert performance of Weber’s Oberon with the
opera arias and a CD for children. Among his many
Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra.
accolades are Grammy and Gramophone awards and
ECHO prizes.
This year he tours with Helmuth Rilling and the
Bachakademie as well as his current tour with the Leipzig From 1996, he was a professor in the vocal department
Gewandhaus Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly, which
of the Music Academy in Detmold, before accepting a
will also result in a recording of the St Matthew Passion.
new position at the Hanns Eisler Music University in Berlin
in 2004.
In 2005 Thomas Quasthoff received the Order of Merit
from the President of the German Republic. The
following year he was awarded the European Culture
Price for Music at the Dresden Frauenkirche.
38
Monica Rittershaus
Hanno Müller-Brachmann bass-baritone Christus
The German bass-baritone
Hanno Müller-Brachmann is
currently a company principal
with the Deutsche Staatsoper in
Berlin, where his many roles
include Papageno, the title-role
in The Marriage of Figaro,
Leporello and Guglielmo.
He made his debut with the
Bavarian State Opera as
Oreste in Elektra and returned
to Munich as Papageno in the new production of The
Magic Flute at the Munich Festival. He made his debut
with both the Vienna State Opera and San Francisco
Opera in the role of Guglielmo, under Bertrand de Billy
and Michael Gielen respectively. He also sang Leporello
at the 2006 Vienna Klangbogen Festival.
He is an acclaimed interpreter of Bach’s St Matthew
and St John Passions, and has sung with the London
Philharmonic Orchestra under Kurt Masur and the
Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists under Sir
John Eliot Gardiner, the Philharmonia Orchestra under
Christoph von Dohnányi, the Orchestra Sinfonica di
Milano Giuseppe Verdi under Riccardo Chailly and the
European Youth Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy.
He also performs Lieder, working with pianists including
Burkhard Kehring, Philippe Jordan, Malcolm Martineau,
András Schiff and Daniel Barenboim. His recital
engagements have included the Schubertiade Festival in
Schwarzenberg, the Edinburgh International Festival and
the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin.
Hanno Müller-Brachmann has also appeared at the
London Mostly Mozart, Schleswig-Holstein, Berlin and
Lucerne festivals and at the BBC Proms. His recordings
include recitals of Schubert and Schumann and The
Magic Flute, conducted by Claudio Abbado, which won
a Gramophone award.
Klaus Häger bass Pilate/Peter/Judas
The German bass Klaus
Häger was born in Wuppertal,
where he studied cello, piano
and organ. He later studied
voice at the conservatoires of
Cologne and Freiburg and
attended masterclasses
directed by Sena Jurinac,
Ernst Haefliger and Dietrich
Fischer-Dieskau.
Klaus Häger went on to win
several prizes and awards at international competitions.
He was a member of Hamburg State Opera from 1991
until 1997. From 1997 until 2005 he was a member of the
Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin as well as being a regular
guest artist at several major opera houses. In 2002 he
made his debut in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
under Christian Thielemann at Bayreuth.
Klaus Häger is a frequent guest at festivals in Salzburg,
Schwetzingen, Ludwigsburg, Schleswig-Holstein,
Holland, Ansbach and Seville, among others.
He also regularly appears with leading orchestras
throughout Europe and has worked with many prominent
conductors, including Gerd Albrecht, Daniel Barenboim,
Pierre Boulez, Michael Gielen, Philippe Herreweghe,
René Jacobs, Kent Nagano, Helmuth Rilling and
Christian Thielemann.
During recent seasons Klaus Häger has sung in the USA,
including at the Bach Festival in Oregon and with the
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. He made his Carnegie
Hall debut in 2007.
Klaus Häger also finds time to teach, and since 2004
has been a professor at the Hochschule für Musik und
Theater in Rostock.
39
The Leipzig Gewandhaus is the oldest civic concert
orchestra in the world, having been founded in 1743.
Following its move to the meeting house of the cloth
merchants (the ‘Gewandhaus’) in 1781, the ensemble was
named the Gewandhaus Orchestra. The Orchestra is
now housed in a new Gewandhaus on Augustusplatz.
Few orchestras have contributed as much to the
development of the symphonic musical tradition as the
Gewandhaus Orchestra. It performed all of Beethoven’s
symphonies during the composer’s lifetime and
presented the world’s first complete Bruckner and
Shostakovich cycles. It boasts an exceptionally wide
repertoire and a very busy schedule. This is due in part to
its multiple functions: as a concert orchestra, an opera
orchestra at the Leipzig Opera, and a chamber
orchestra which performs cantatas with the St Thomas’s
Boys Choir at St Thomas’s Church. With more than 200
performances in these three venues and on tour, the
Gewandhaus Orchestra is Leipzig’s most important
musical ambassador.
Felix Mendelssohn, Arthur Nikisch, Wilhelm Furtwängler
and Bruno Walter number among the most distinguished
Gewandhaus Music Directors. Herbert Blomstedt, who
succeeded Kurt Masur in 1998, was the orchestra’s 18th
Music Director. Since September 2005, Riccardo Chailly
has held the post of Gewandhaus Music Director.
40
St Thomas’s Boys Choir
Tölz Boys Choir
The history of St Thomas’s Boys Choir spans almost 800
years, and it is Leipzig’s oldest cultural institution. The
members of the choir are all boarders at the Leipzig
Thomasschule, the school connected with St Thomas’s
Church, which is its main workplace.
The Tölzer Knabenchor (Tölz Boys Choir) was founded in
1956 in Bad Tölz, in the middle of Bavaria, by its director
and professor of voice Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden. Since
1970 the choir has been based in its own studio in
Munich.Comprised of more than 150 boys, divided into
four choirs, nearly 80 per cent of the choir members
At the Parliament in Frankfurt in 1212 Otto IV of Brunswick
come from Munich, although Bad Tölz remains an
endorsed the formation by members of the Augustinian
important centre.
order of the St Thomas choral foundation initiated by
Margrave Dietrich the Oppressed of Meissen. The
The training of each choir member is based on creativity,
foundation included a seminary originally intended to
spontaneity and the joy of singing, which are held in as
train boys for the priesthood. However, it was soon also
high a regard as well-developed technique and a strong
opened to boys who were not part of the foundation.
sense of discipline.
Liturgical singing was on the curriculum from the outset.
The choir’s repertoire is wide-ranging, from medieval to
The first in the long line of Thomaskantors (directors of
contemporary music, with a particular emphasis on the
music at St Thomas’s) was Georg Rhau, during whose
Baroque and Classical periods. The various ensembles
two-year term of office the famous dispute between
of the Tölz Boys Choir give nearly 240 concerts and
Martin Luther and Johann Eck took place in Leipzig
opera performances annually. Members of the choir
(1519). While the early office-holders remained for
have taken the roles of the three boys in Mozart’s The
relatively short periods, Sethus Calvisius was
Magic Flute in numerous productions and on no fewer
Thomaskantor for 20 years, from 1594 to 1615. He was
than eight recordings.
followed by such famous figures as Johann Hermann
Schein (1616–30), Johann Kuhnau (1701–22) and Johann
Sebastian Bach, who was installed on 31 May 1723 and
remained in office for 27 years.
Subsequent Thomaskantors who exerted an influence
on Lutheran church music included Gottlob Harrer,
Johann Friedrich Doles, Johann Adam Hiller, August
Eberhard Müller, Johann Gottfried Schicht, Christian
Theodor Weinlig, Moritz Hauptmann, Ernst Friedrich
Richter, Wilhelm Rust, Gustav Ernst Schreck, Karl
Straube, Günther Ramin, Kurt Thomas, Erhard
Mauersberger, Hans-Joachim Rotzsch and, since
1992, Georg Christoph Biller.
During the last century the choir extended its concert
activities to other cities and countries, simultaneously
maintaining its performances of motets and cantatas on
Fridays and Saturdays in St Thomas’s Church, which
remain an important part of its thriving musical tradition.
41
Orchestra list
Violin I
Frank-Michael Erben *
Sebastian Breuninger *
Conrad Suske **
Julius Bekesch **
Veronika Starke
Jürgen Dase
Regine Korneli
Liane Unger
Brita Zühlke
Dorothea Vogel
Johanna Berndt
Elisa Friedrich
Violin II
Dorian Xhoxhi *
Miho Tomiyasu-Palma Marques **
Sebastian Ude
Christine Nagel
Horst Baumann
Werner Janek
Gudrun Spörl
Udo Hannewald
Kathrin Pantzier
Edwin Ilg
Tobias Haupt
Karl Heinrich Niebuhr
Viola
Barbara Buntrock ‡
Dorothea Hemken #
Ruth Bernewitz
Alice Mura
Heiner Stolle
Katharina Dargel
Anne Wiechmann-Milatz
Martin Smykal
Cello
Christian Giger ‡
Daniel Pfister #
42
Matthias Schreiber
Heiko Schumann
Christoph Vietz
Henriette-Luise Neubert
Double Bass
Christian Ockert ‡
Karsten Heins #
Waldemar Schwiertz
Tobias Martin
Flute
Cornelia Grohmann ‡
Stephanie Winker ‡
Wolfgang Loebner
Gudrun Hinze-Hönig
Oboe
Thomas Hipper ‡
Henrik Wahlgren ‡
Gundel Jannemann-Fischer
Simon Sommerhalder
Peter Heinze
Daniel Fuster
Bassoon
David Petersen ‡
Gottfried Kronfeld
Recorder
Antje Hensel
Robert Ehrlich
Viola da gamba
Thomas Fritzsch
Organ
Denny Wilke
Michael Schönheit
* First Concertmaster
** Assistant Concertmaster
‡ Principal
# Assistant Principal
Gewandhauskapellmeister
Riccardo Chailly
Gewandhaus Director
Andreas Schulz
Orchestra Manager
Marco Eckertz
Stage Manager
Lothar Petrausch
Stage Crew
Udo Schulz
Holger Berger
Intermusica Tour Management
Managing Director
Stephen Lumsden
Manager, Tours & Projects
Ben Larpent
Project Coordinator, Tours &
Projects
Julia Larigo
Chorus list
St Thomas’s Boys Choir
Paul Bernewitz
Lorenz Thomas Blattert
Frieder Böhme
Sebastian Borleis
Max Börner
Jean Philipp Chey
Clemens Tillmann Cramer
Martin Andreas Deckelmann
Arthur Leopold Engel
Johannes Maria Ernst
Cornelius Christian Frommelt
Ansgar Führer
Claudio Gemsa
Martin Gerhardt
Franz Andreas Gischke
Johannes Gründel
Jonathan Leopold Hagel
Lucas Herbert Heller
Paul Martin Heller
Maximilian Johannes Hohmann
Felix Hübner
Stefan Kahle
Dennis Keeb
Arthur Ernst Kinder
Malte Christian Frederik Klevenow
Florian Knaack
Alexander Kolodko
Friedrich Oskar Krieger
Julius Linnert
Richard Mauersberger
Aaron Müller
Alexander Olschewski
Maximilian Olschewski
Adrian Norbert Johannes Patzelt
Friedrich Praetorius
Gregor Praetorius
Tobias Rommel
Ludwig Rucker
Jan Schlegel
Michael Johann Schmücker
Georg Schütze
Daniel Attila Schwiertz
Leon Taege
Hans Friedrich Thoss
Paul Friedrich Vogel
Christoph Vogler
Friedrich Johannes Weissbach
Hans Jakob Wetzig
Johann Jakob Winter
Conrad Zuber
Programme produced by Harriet Smith; printed by Sharp Print Limited;
advertising by Cabbell (tel. 020 8971 8450)
Please make sure that all digital watch alarms and mobile phones are switched
off during the performance. In accordance with the requirements of the licensing
authority, sitting or standing in any gangway is not permitted. Smoking is not
permitted anywhere on the Barbican premises. No eating or drinking is allowed
in the auditorium. No cameras, tape recorders or any other recording equipment
may be taken into the hall.
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
Administration 020 7638 4141
Box Office 020 7638 8891
Great Performers Last-Minute Concert
Information Hotline 0845 120 7505
www.barbican.org.uk
43
Chorus list
Tölz Boys Choir
Daniel Adler
Markus Althanns
Moritz Beeching
Raphael Beusch
Simon Bohrenfeldt
Alexander von Both
Stefan Buchka
Benedict Bushbeck Rutilles
Kilian Eisert
Sebastian Gerstberger
Jonas Hausler
Leon Heiland
Jeffrey Hermingahaus
Lars John
Enno von Koss
Daniel Krahmer
Raphael Kriegmair
Jörg Lehner
Barbican Centre Board
Chairman
Jeremy Mayhew
Deputy Chairman
John Barker OBE
Board Members
Christine Cohen OBE
Roly Keating
Lesley King-Lewis
Catherine McGuiness
Sir Brian McMaster
Joyce Nash OBE
Barbara Newman CBE
John Owen-Ward MBE
Andrew Parmley
Christoper Purvis CBE
Sue Robertson
Keith Salway
John Tomlinson
Clerk to the Board
Stuart Pick
Luis Lerner
Dominique Maier
Johannes Mohrle
Andreas Morwald
Jonas Nogl
Philipp Nowotny
Ludwig Obst
Felix Palm
Andreas Partilla
Eric Price
Alexander Rampp
Maximilian Schiefer
Sebastian Schone
Robin Schulleri
Frank Schulleri
Valentin Wiedemann
Lorenz Wiesmeier
Finance and Strategic
Planning Director
Sandeep Dwesar
Commercial and
Buildings Director
Mark Taylor
Development Director
Barbara Davidson
Personal Assistant to
Sir Nicholas Kenyon
Ali Ribchester
Head of
Communications
Leonora Thomson
Barbican Music
Department
Head of Music and
Arts Projects
Robert van Leer
Executive Producer
Barbican Directorate
Managing Director
Sir Nicholas Kenyon
Artistic Director
Graham Sheffield
44
Vicky Cheetham
Music Programmers
Gijs Elsen
Bryn Ormrod
Associate Music
Programmer
Chris Sharp
Programming Associate
Marie McPartlin
Programming
Consultant
Angela Dixon
Programming
Assistants
Katy Morrison
Merwynne Jones
Concerts Planning
Manager
Frances Bryant
Music Administrator
Thomas Hardy
Head of Marketing and
New Media
Chris Denton
Marketing Campaign
Managers
Bethan Sheppard
Greg Fearon
Marketing Assistant
Jessica Tomkins
Media Relations
Managers
Alex Webb
Annikaisa Vainio
Media Relations
Officers
Rupert Cross
Anna Omakinwa
Events Producer
Kat Johnson
Production Managers
Eddie Shelter
Jessica Buchanan-Barrow
Alison Cooper
Claire Corns
Kate Packham
Fiona Todd
Company Production
Manager
Rachel Smith
Technical Managers
Jasja van Andel
Ingo Reinhardt
Technical Supervisors
Mark Bloxsidge
Steve Mace
Technicians
Maurice Adamson
Jason Kew
Sean McDill
Martin Shaw
Tom Shipman
Associate Producer
Elizabeth Burgess
Stage Managers
Christopher Alderton
Julie-Anne Bolton
Platform Supervisor
Paul Harcourt
Senior Stage Assistants
Andy Clarke
Hannah Wye
Stage Assistants
Ademola Akisanya
Michael Casey
Robert Rea
Danny Harcourt
Producing
Administrator
Colette Chilton

Barbican Hall J. S. Bach St Matthew Passion

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