Bach: Johannes-Passion for Soloists, Choir and Orchestra (2014) [Blu-ray]

Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle was one of the outstanding events of the past season.

As before with the St Matthew Passion, star director Peter Sellars succeeded in creating a staging which made the spiritual and dramatic content of the Passion story even more intensive. The New York Times also praised the “brilliant and energetic” playing of the orchestra, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung the “haunting, almost unsurpassable singing of all those involved.”

The top-class ensemble of singers was led by Mark Padmore, one of the leading Evangelist interpreters of our day.

The edition features both a DVD and a Blu-ray version, making it playable on all popular video players. Added to this, it is exclusively presented with a linen hardcover, a comprehensive booklet and numerous photos. The extensive bonus material includes an interview with Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars, an introduction to the work by chorus master Simon Halsey and a voucher for the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Digital Concert Hall.

Live recording from the Berlin Philharmonie, February/March 2014