The St Matthew Passion (also frequently but incorrectly referred to as St Matthew's Passion) BWV 244 is a Passion, a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander (Christian Friedrich Henrici).
The Passion is set from chapters 26 and 27 of the Gospel of Matthew (in the German translation of Martin Luther) to music, with interspersed chorales and arias. It is widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of classical sacred music. The original Latin title Passio Domini nostri J.C. secundum Evangelistam Matthæum translates to "The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Evangelist Matthew".
Profile of the talk: The talk will consist of an introduction and a musical appreciation of Bach's Saint Matthew Passion. It will include several subtitled excerpt of the passion.
Click Here for a Visitor's Guide to St Matthew Passion (50 minutes audio)
Click Here: to download the Lyrics in PDF format (German and English):
Click Here: to download a Daily Telegraph Article: "Can Non-Christians Appreciate St. Matthew Passion?"
Dr. Georges Haddad
Born and raised in Lebanon, Dr. Haddad is a Neurosurgeon with varied interests such as music, art, writing and mathematics. He truly believes thatDostoyevsky was right when he said: “Beauty will save the world”.