JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH:

ST. MATTHEW PASSION

with Lucy Crowe, Matthew Brook, Bertrand Grunewald, Werner Güra, Stephen Morscheck & Christine Rice

Orchestre de Chambre de Paris

Schola Cantorum Oxford

Maîtrise de Paris

John Nelson, conductor

Ideale Audience

ABOUT THE FILM

Filmed in the breathtaking Gothic Basilica of Saint-Denis, just outside Paris, extraordinary musicians bring the profound drama to life, capturing Bach’s brilliant intensity in the narrative sung by the Evangelist, the words of Jesus and his disciples, and the expressive reflections of the chorus. “Bach’s St. Matthew Passion tells the greatest story ever told with unequaled perception and power. It is the most moving of all sacred works, the crème de la crème, the very high point of Western classical music.” John Nelson, conductor.

Filmed live in the Basilica of Saint-Denis, during the 2011 Saint-Denis Festival. Directed by Louise Narboni.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM 

BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

"It's the overwhelming sincerity that compels, and Nelson's cast is strong...If plushness and incisiveness drive Nelson's vision, then Oxford's Schola Cantorum respond in kind."

AUDIOPHILE AUDITION

"A top flight recording of Bach's monumental opus ... a DVD of exceptional merit ... This is easily a release that I will turn on without the video many times, and it is also the equal of virtually any audio-only release on the market. This is how concerts should be filmed. For Bach with purpose, understanding, and love, you need look nowhere else."

MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

“There’s another American singer in the cast, the young tenor, Nicholas Phan. He too is a singer who I don’t believe I’ve encountered before but he made a very favourable impression on me, not least in his outstanding account of the aria ‘Geduld’. The preceding recitative is also very well done. Earlier on, his clear, agile tenor is heard to excellent effect in a fluent account of ‘Ich will bei meinem Jesu wachen’. At this stage in his career the arias probably suit his voice best but I’d be interested to hear him as the Evangelist in due course.”