The St. John Passion, SWV 481, from late in the career of Heinrich Schütz, poses severe challenges to performers with its minimal a cappella setting, and recordings of it are sparse despite the fascinating contrast the work makes with Bach's Passions. After an opening polyphonic chorus, the listener is plunged into the biblical story, set to chant-like lines embodying the Evangelist narrator, Jesus, and the other figures attending Christ's crucifixion. The chorus plays the role of the crowd, providing the only animated ...
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The St. John Passion, SWV 481, from late in the career of Heinrich Schütz, poses severe challenges to performers with its minimal a cappella setting, and recordings of it are sparse despite the fascinating contrast the work makes with Bach's Passions. After an opening polyphonic chorus, the listener is plunged into the biblical story, set to chant-like lines embodying the Evangelist narrator, Jesus, and the other figures attending Christ's crucifixion. The chorus plays the role of the crowd, providing the only animated moments in the score; Christ's death is marked only by a slight broadening of the declamation, and everything else is recounted in a neutral but somehow hypnotically flexible single vocal line. Originally recorded in either 1988 or 1990 (the performance marks in the booklet and on the back cover disagree), this performance came well in advance of the vogue for one-voice-per-part performances of German Baroque choral music, and the reason given for its interpretation in that style rests...
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