Search - Bach - St. John Passion / Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan on DVD

One for the ages..

Stephen Quinn | Huntington Beach, Ca | 04/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you have the patience to let it work, this performance will pierce your heart with its solemn beauty. As distant and alien as Bach's music sounds to ears accustomed to being assaulted by "rap" and other aural garbage, it lifts the listener to the realm where Christ's sacrifice becomes intensely personal, yet magnificently universal. For those not familiar with the work, it tells the story of Christ's passion and death, interweaving texts directly from the Gospel of John, sung by soloists representing each part, with choral texts reflecting man's response to this wondrous yet heart-breaking tale. The result is a timeless masterpiece capable of moving the heart of even the most faithless and cynical. The scaled down forces in this performance make for a wonderful transparency to the sound. Each soloist brings just the right degree of personal identification with his or her part. And thankfully, the English subtitles make every word count.

If at this Easter season, you seek something less brutal, yet no less profound in its directness and impact than Mel Gibson's Passion, Bach will not let you down."