Bernhard Klapprott - St. Matthew Passion - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

J.S. Bach - St Matthew's Passion [COMPACT DISCS] date 07/24/2001

Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion is widely recognized as one of the greatest masterpieces in Western sacred music. With it's double orchestra and chorus this is a work of enormous proportions in every sense, and Bach was extremely resourceful in treading a fine line between creating the almost operatic spectacle valued by the secular authorities in Leipzig, and the elevated religious atmosphere sought by the clergy. This inspired mix of moving drama and theological discourse led Leonard Bernstein to declare that 'there is nothing like it in all of music'.

Similar to the outstanding recording of the Christmas Oratorio, this recording of the St. Matthew Passion, made in 1975, brings together the Who's Who of the Saxon music scene. In a unique collaboration of the Mauersberger brothers, who were at the same time the cantors of the Dresden Kreuzchor and the Thomanerchor Leipzig, they unite the two choirs rich in tradition with the great soloists of their time from Adele Stolte and Annelies Burmeister to Theo Adam and Peter Schreier. Thomanerchor Leipzig boasts a tradition of more than 800 years in music and city history, a widely acknowledged contemporary reputation, and almost one hundred boys and young men with individual personalities and a common passion for music, framed by a unique future-oriented cultural and educational landscape. The Dresdner Kreuzchor is the boys' choir of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden, Germany. It has a seven-century history and a world-wide reputation. Today, the choir has about 150 members between the ages of 9 and 19, from Dresden and the surrounding region. The boys attend the Kreuzschule in Dresden. They are also called InchKruzianerInch.