St Matthew Passion discography

Notable recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion (Matthäus-Passion) are shown below in a sortable table.

The selection is taken from the 253 recordings listed on bach-cantatas as of 2015, beginning with a recording from 1939 by a symphony orchestra and choir to match. Beginning in the late 1960s, historically informed performances paved the way for recordings with smaller groups, boys choirs and ensembles playing period instruments, taken to an extreme in recordings using only one voice on a vocal part.

History

The work was first recorded by symphonic choirs and orchestras. From the late 1960s, historically informed performances (HIP) tried to adhere more to the sounds of the composer's lifetime, who typically wrote for boys choirs and for comparatively small orchestras of Baroque instruments, often now called "period instruments". Some scholars believe that Bach used only one singer for a vocal part in the choral movements, termed "one voice per part" (OVPP). On some of these recordings, the solo singer is reinforced in choral movements with a larger orchestra by a ripieno singer (OVPP+R).

The first recording of the work was conducted by David McKinley Williams with the choir of St. Bartholomew, New York in 1930, but was not complete. Serge Koussevitzky conducted a performance on Good Friday 1937, sung in English. The table begins with the recording conducted by Willem Mengelberg in 1939. In 1970 the first HIP recording appeared, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. The first OVPP recording appeared in 2003, conducted by Paul McCreesh.

Table of recordings

The sortable listing is taken mostly from the selection provided by Aryeh Oron on the Bach-Cantatas website.

The information lists for one recording typically:

• Conductor / choir / orchestra, often several choirs
• Soloists in the order Evangelist (tenor), Vox Christi (Voice of Jesus, bass), soprano, alto, tenor (if the tenor arias are performed by a different tenor than the evangelist), bass. Sometimes the soloists are different for Choir I and II.
• Label
• Year of the recording
• Choir type
  1. Large choirs (red background): Bach (choir dedicated to Bach's music, founded in the mid of the 20th century), Boys (choir of all male voices), Radio (choir of a broadcaster), Symphony (choir related to a symphony orchestra)
  2. Medium-size choirs, such as Chamber choir, Chorale (choir dedicated mostly to church music), Madrigal
  3. One voice per part (green background): OVPP or OVPP+R (with ripienists reinforcing the soloists in some chorale movements)
• Orch. type (orchestra type)
  1. Large orchestras (red background): Large (unspecified), Bach (orchestra dedicated to Bach's music, founded in the mid of the 20th century), Radio (symphony orchestra of a broadcaster), Opera, Symphony
  2. Chamber orchestra
  3. Orchestra on period instruments (green background)
• Notes

Recordings of Bach's St Matthew Passion, BWV 244

Conductor / Choir / Orchestra	Soloists	Label	Year	Choir type	Orch. type	Notes
Willem Mengelberg[1] Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam Jongenskoor "Zanglust" Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra	Karl Erb Willem Ravelli Jo Vincent Ilona Durigo Louis van Tulder Hermann Schey	Philips	1939	Large	Symphony
Reginald Jacques[1] The Bach Choir The Jacques Orchestra	Eric Greene Henry Cummings Elsie Suddaby Kathleen Ferrier William Parsons	Decca	1947	Bach	Large	[lower-alpha 1]
Fritz Lehmann[1] Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks Boys' Choir of the St. Hedwig's Cathedral Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin	Helmut Krebs Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Elfriede Trötschel Diana Eustrati Friedrich Härtel	Vox	1949	Boys	Radio
Hermann Scherchen[2] Wiener Akademie-Kammerchor Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera	Petre Munteanu Heinz Rehfuss Magda László Hilde Rössel-Majdan Hugues Cuénod Richard Standen	Westminster	1953		Opera
Wilhelm Furtwängler Wiener Singverein Wiener Sängerknaben Wiener Philharmoniker	Anton Dermota Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Elisabeth Grümmer Marga Höffgen Otto Edelmann		1954		Symphony
Ralph Vaughan Williams[2][3] Leith Hill Musical Festival Orchestra & Chorus	Eric Greene Gordon Clinton Pauline Brockless Nancy Evans Wilfred Brown John Carol Case	Pearl	1958		Large	released in 2000
Fritz Werner[2] Heinrich-Schütz-Chor Heilbronn Boys' Choir of Robert-Mayer-School of Heilbronn Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra	Helmut Krebs Franz Kelch Agnes Giebel Renate Günther Hermann Wedermann	Erato	1958		Chamber
Mogens Wöldike[2] Schottenstift Boys' Choir Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera	Uno Ebrelius Hans Braun Teresa Stich-Randall Hilde Rössel-Majdan Waldemar Kmentt Walter Berry	Vanguard Classics	1959	Boys	Opera
Karl Richter[2] Münchener Bach-Chor Münchener Chorknaben Münchener Bach-Orchester	Ernst Haefliger Kieth Engen Irmgard Seefried Antonia Fahberg Hertha Töpper Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Max Proebstl	Archiv Produktion	1959	Bach	Bach	[lower-alpha 2]
Erhard Mauersberger Rudolf Mauersberger Hans-Joachim Rotzsch[4][5] Dresdner Kreuzchor Thomanerchor Gewandhausorchester	Peter Schreier Theo Adam Adele Stolte Annelies Burmeister Günther Leib	Eterna	1962	Boys	Symphony	[lower-alpha 3]
Otto Klemperer[4] Philharmonia Chorus Philharmonia Orchestra	Peter Pears Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Christa Ludwig Nicolai Gedda Walter Berry Geraint Evans	EMI	1962	Symphony	Symphony
Leonard Bernstein[4] Collegiate Chorale New York Philharmonic	David Lloyd William Wildermann Adele Addison Betty Allen Charles Bressler Donald Bell	Columbia Masterworks Records	1962	Chorale	Symphony	slightly abridged, sung in English later re-issued on Sony Masterworks
Eugen Jochum Netherlands Radio Choir Boys' Choir of St Willibrord Church, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra	Ernst Haefliger Walter Berry Agnes Giebel Marga Höffgen John van Kesteren Franz Crass Leo Ketelaars	Philips	1966		Radio
Wolfgang Gönnenwein[4] Süddeutscher Madrigalchor Consortium Musicum	Theo Altmeyer Franz Crass Teresa Żylis-Gara Julia Hamari Nicolai Gedda Hermann Prey	EMI	1968	Madrigal	Chamber
Claudio Abbado[4] Coro di Voci Bianche dell'Oratorio dell'Immacolata di Bergamo Coro di Milano della RAI Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI	Peter Schreier Hermann Prey Teresa Żylis-Gara Fiorella Pediconi Margarita Lilowa Max van Egmond	Dino Classics	1969	Radio	Radio
Karl Richter[4] Münchener Bach-Chor Münchener Chorknaben Münchener Bach-Orchester	Ernst Haefliger Kieth Engen Ursula Buckel Marga Höffgen Peter van der Bilt	Archiv Produktion	1969	Bach	Bach	recorded live at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Nikolaus Harnoncourt[6] Regensburger Domspatzen Men's Voices of the King's College Choir Concentus Musicus Wien	Kurt Equiluz Karl Ridderbusch Soloists of the Wiener Sängerknaben Tom Sutcliffe Paul Esswood James Bowman Nigel Rogers Max van Egmond Michael Schopper	Teldec	1970	Boys	Period	First HIP
Karl Richter Münchener Bach-Chor Münchener Chorknaben Münchener Bach-Orchester	Peter Schreier Ernst Gerold Schramm Helen Donath Julia Hamari Horst Laubenthal Siegmund Nimsgern Walter Berry	Deutsche Grammophon	1971	Bach	Bach	DVD, released in 2006
Herbert von Karajan[6] Wiener Singverein Choir of the Deutsche Oper Berlin Boys' voices of the Staats- und Domchor, Berlin Berlin Philharmonic	Peter Schreier Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Gundula Janowitz Christa Ludwig Horst Laubenthal Walter Berry Anton Diakov	Deutsche Grammophon	1972	Large	Symphony
Johan van der Meer[6] Groningse Bachvereniging Leonhardt-Consort Alarius-Ensemble Musica da Camera	Marius van Altena Max van Egmond Three soloists of the Tölzer Knabenchor René Jacobs Harry Geraerts Michiel ten Houte de Lange Frits van Erven Dorens Harry van der Kamp	Groningse Bachvereniging (self release)	1973	Bach	Period
Charles de Wolff[6] De Nederlandse Bachvereniging Koorschool St. Bavo, Haarlem Residentie Orkest	Kurt Equiluz Max van Egmond Sheila Armstrong Maureen Lehane Neil Jenkins Hermann Christian Polster	COrneMuse	1977	Bach	Period
Helmuth Rilling[6] Gächinger Kantorei Bach-Collegium Stuttgart	Adalbert Kraus Siegmund Nimsgern Arleen Auger Julia Hamari Ann Murray Aldo Baldin Philippe Huttenlocher	Columbia Masterworks Records	1978	Chorale	Chamber	later re-issued on Sony Masterworks
David Willcocks[6] The Bach Choir Boys of St Paul's Cathedral Choir Thames Chamber Orchestra	Robert Tear John Shirley-Quirk Felicity Lott Alfreda Hodgson Neil Jenkins Stephen Roberts	Decca	1979	Bach	Chamber	Sung in English re-issued in 2006 on Universal Classics
Karl Richter[6] Münchener Bach-Chor Regensburger Domspatzen Münchener Bach-Orchester	Peter Schreier Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Edith Mathis Janet Baker Matti Salminen	Archiv Produktion	1979	Bach	Bach	[lower-alpha 4]
Philippe Herreweghe[7] Collegium Vocale Gent Chœur d'Enfants "Il dulci jubilo" Instrumentalists of Collegium Vocale Gent La Chapelle Royale	Howard Crook Ulrik Cold Barbara Schlick René Jacobs Hans Peter Blochwitz Peter Kooy	Harmonia Mundi	1985		Period
Peter Schreier[7] Rundfunkchor Leipzig Staatskapelle Dresden	Peter Schreier Theo Adam Lucia Popp Marjana Lipovšek Eberhard Büchner Robert Holl	Philips	1985	Radio	Symphony
Georg Solti[7] Chicago Symphony Chorus Chicago Symphony Orchestra	Hans Peter Blochwitz Olaf Bär Kiri Te Kanawa Anne Sofie von Otter Anthony Rolfe Johnson Tom Krause	Decca	1988	Symphony	Symphony
John Eliot Gardiner[7] Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists	Anthony Rolfe Johnson Andreas Schmidt Barbara Bonney Ann Monoyios Anne Sofie von Otter Michael Chance Howard Crook Olaf Bär Cornelius Hauptmann	Archiv Produktion	1989		Period
Gustav Leonhardt[7] Tölzer Knabenchor Men's choir of La Petite Bande La Petite Bande	Christoph Prégardien Max van Egmond Christian Fliegner (boy soprano) Maximilian Kiener (boy soprano) René Jacobs David Cordier John Elwes Markus Schäfer Klaus Mertens Peter Lika	Deutsche Harmonia Mundi	1989	Boys	Period
Ton Koopman[8] De Nederlandse Bachvereniging Sacramentskoor Breda Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra	Guy de Mey Peter Kooy Barbara Schlick Kai Wessel Christoph Prégardien Klaus Mertens	Erato	1993	Bach	Period
Stephen Cleobury[8] Choir of King's College, Cambridge Choir of Jesus College, Cambridge The Brandenburg Consort	Rogers Covey-Crump Michael George Emma Kirkby Michael Chance Martyn Hill David Thomas	Brilliant Classics/Regis	1994	Boys	Period	[lower-alpha 5]
Frans Brüggen[8] Koorschool St. Bavo, Haarlem Nederlands Kamerkoor Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century	Nico van der Meel Kristinn Sigmundsson María Cristina Kiehr Mona Julsrud Claudia Schubert Wilke te Brummelstroete Ian Bostridge Toby Spence Peter Kooy Harry van der Kamp	Philips	1996	Chamber	Period
Jos van Veldhoven[8] De Nederlandse Bachvereniging Koorschool St. Bavo, Haarlem	Gerd Türk Geert Smits Johannette Zomer Andreas Scholl Hans-Jörg Mammel Peter Kooy	Channel Classics	1997	Bach	Period	reorded live at Muziekcentrum Vredenburg
Seiji Ozawa[8] SKF Matsumoto Children's Choir & Tokyo Opera Singers Saito Kinen Orchestra	John Mark Ainsley Thomas Quasthoff Christiane Oelze Nathalie Stutzmann Stanford Olsen Michael Volle Katsunori Kono	Philips	1997	Radio	Radio
Philippe Herreweghe[8] Collegium Vocale Gent	Ian Bostridge Franz-Josef Selig Sibylla Rubens Andreas Scholl Werner Güra Dietrich Henschel	Harmonia Mundi	1998		Period
Masaaki Suzuki[8] Bach Collegium Japan	Gerd Türk Peter Kooy Nancy Argenta Robin Blaze Makoto Sakurada Chiyuki Urano	BIS	1999		Period
Heinz Hennig[9] Knabenchor Hannover Thomanerchor Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin Barockorchester L'Arco	Gerd Türk Hanno Müller-Brachmann Elisabeth Scholl Nathalie Stutzmann Andreas Karasiak Thomas Mohr	Thorofon	2000	Boys	Period	Collaboration of two boys' choirs
Nikolaus Harnoncourt[9] Arnold Schoenberg Chor Wiener Sängerknaben Concentus Musicus Wien	Christoph Prégardien Matthias Goerne Christine Schäfer Dorothea Röschmann Bernarda Fink Elisabeth von Magnus Michael Schade Markus Schäfer Dietrich Henschel Oliver Widmer	Teldec	2001		Period	[lower-alpha 6]
Paul McCreesh[9] Gabrieli Consort & Players	Deborah York Julia Gooding Magdalena Kožená Susan Bickley Mark Padmore James Gilchrist Peter Harvey Stephan Loges	Archiv Produktion	2003	OVPP	Period	First OVPP
Enoch zu Guttenberg[9] Chorgemeinschaft Neubeuern Tölzer Knabenchor Orchester der Klangverwaltung	Marcus Ullmann Klaus Mertens Anna Korondi Anke Vondung Werner Güra Hans Christoph Begemann	Farao Classics	2003	Large	Large
Ton Koopman[9] Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir Sacramentskoor Breda	Jörg Dürmüller Ekkehard Abele Cornelia Samuelis Bogna Bartosz Paul Agnew Klaus Mertens	Challenge Classics	2006		Period	[lower-alpha 7]
John Butt[9] Dunedin Consort	Nicholas Mulroy Matthew Brook Susan Hamilton Cecilia Osmond Clare Wilkinson Annie Gill Malcolm Bennett Brian Bannatyne-Scott	Linn Records	2008	OVPP+R	Period	Recording of 1742 version
Sigiswald Kuijken[9][10] La Petite Bande	Christoph Genz Jan van der Crabben Gerlinde Sämann Marie Kuijken Petra Noskaiová Patrizia Hardt Bernhard Hunziker Marcus Niedermeyr	Challenge Classics	2008	OVPP	Period
Riccardo Chailly[9] Tölzer Knabenchor Thomanerchor La Petite Bande	Johannes Chum Hanno Müller-Brachmann Christina Landshamer Marie-Claude Chappuis Thomas Quasthoff Maximilian Schmitt Klaus Häger	Decca	2009	Boys	Symphony	collaboration of two boys' choirs
Jos van Veldhoven[11] De Nederlandse Bachvereniging Kampen Boys Choir	Gerd Türk Amaryllis Dieltiens Siri Thornhill Tim Mead Matthew White Julian Podger Charles Daniels Peter Harvey Sebastian Noack	Channel Classics	2010	OVPP+R	Period
René Jacobs[12] RIAS Kammerchor Staats- und Domchor Berlin Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin	Werner Güra Johannes Weisser Sunhae Im Bernarda Fink Topi Lehtipuu Konstantin Wolff	Harmonia Mundi	2013	Chamber	Period
Peter Dijkstra[11] Bavarian Radio Choir Regensburger Domspatzen Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra	Julian Prégardien Karl-Magnus Fredriksson Karina Gauvin Gerhild Romberger Maximilian Schmitt Michael Nagy	BR-Klassik	2014	Radio	Radio
Hans-Christoph Rademann[11] Gaechinger Cantorey	Benedikt Kristjánsson Krešimir Stražanac Gerlinde Sämann Isabel Jantschek Benno Schachtner Paul Schweinester Peter Harvey	Accentus Music	2017	Chorale	Period	DVD of choreographed performance

1. Revised by Elgar & Atkins. Sung in English, and the translation was done by Troutbeck & Johnson. Omits Nos. 11, 21, 65, 66; Abridged Nos. 10, 12
2. later re-issued (choruses & arias only) on Deutsche Grammophon
3. collaboration of two conductors (and brothers) and their boys' choirs, re-issued in 2005 Berlin Classics
4. 5th recording Richter, recorded at Herkulessaal, Munich Residenz; last recording of work by Richter (recorded 2 years before his death)
5. also on DVD, filmed and recorded at King's College Chapel, Cambridge
6. 2001 Grammy Award for "Best Choral Performance", 2001 Gramophone magazine award for "Best Baroque Vocal Recording"
7. also on DVD, filmed and recorded at Sint-Joriskerk, Amersfoort

References

1. "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 1 / Complete Recordings 1900-1949". bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
2. "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 2 / Complete Recordings 1950-1959". bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
3. "Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) / St Matthew Passion". musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
4. "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 3 / Complete Recordings 1960-1969". bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
5. "Bach, J S: St Matthew Passion, BWV244" (in German). magazin.klassik.com. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
6. "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 4 / Complete Recordings 1970-1979". bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
7. "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 5 / Complete Recordings 1980-1989". bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
8. "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 6 / Complete Recordings 1990-1999". bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
9. "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 8 / Complete Recordings 2000-2009". bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
10. "Bach, J S: St Matthew Passion, BWV244". prestoclassical.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
11. "Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 / Recordings - Part 9 / Complete Recordings 2010-2019". bach-cantatas.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
12. "Bach, J S: St Matthew Passion, BWV244". prestoclassical.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2015.

External links

• Matthäuspassion, BWV 244 (Bach, Johann Sebastian): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Matthäuspassion, BWV 244b (Bach, Johann Sebastian (early edition): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Libretto with English translation San Francisco Bach Choir
• Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 Commentary, musical examples, list of recordings on the Bach Cantatas Website
• Side-by-side arrangement of the original text and an English translation Minnesota Public Radio