The Early Music Show - Bach's St Mark Passion

Catherine Bott presents a programme exploring JS Bach's "phantom" setting of the St Mark Passion. According to the catalogue of works in his obituary, Bach composed five Passions, but only two works remain intact, the justly celebrated settings of the Passions by St Matthew and St John. The first performance of the St Mark Passion was probably given on Good Friday - March 23rd - in 1731, but a score of the music has not survived. The text is all that remains, written by the poet Christian Friedrich Henrici or "Picander", with whom Bach worked on the St Matthew Passion. There is however a lot of evidence to suggest that Bach's music from the passion exists in other forms, notably in some of Bach's Cantatas, and so reconstructions of the Passion have been made possible. Catherine Bott recalls the background to Bach's lost work, and plays music from 3 different reconstructions; by Ton Koopman, Simon Heighes, and from a new recording by Amacord and the Kölner Akademie, based on some 1964 detective work by Diethard Hellmann. PLAYLIST: JS BACH: St Mark Passion - opening chorus: Geh, Jesu, geh zu deiner Pein Amarcord Kölner Akademie Michael Alexander Willens (director) CARUS 83.244 Track 1 JS BACH: St Mark Passion - Und am ersten Tage der sussen Brote.Das ist mein Blut des Neuen Testaments Rogers Covey-Crump (Evangelist) Gordon Jones (Jesus) The Ring Ensemble of Finland European Union Baroque Orchestra Roy Goodman (conductor) MUSICA OSCURA 070970 CD 1 Tracks 6 - 8 incl. JS BACH: St Mark Passion - Recit: Die aber legten ihre Hände an ihn / Chorale: Jesu ohne Missethat / Evangelist / Chorale: Ich will hier bey dir stehen Christoph Pregardien (Evangelist) The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir Boys of the Breda Sacrament Choir Ton Koopman (conductor) ERATO 8573-80221-2 CD 1 Tracks 26 - 29 JS BACH: St Mark Passion - Aria: Mein tröster ist nicht mehr bey mir Amarcord Kölner Akademie Michael Alexander Willens (director) CARUS 83.244 Track 24 JS BACH: St Mark Passion - Recit: Da fraget Chorale: Du endless Angesicht (O noble face) Recit: und Petrus.. Chorale: Herr, ich habe mißgehandelt (Lord I have done wrong) Rogers Covey-Crump (Evangelist) Gordon Jones (Jesus) The Ring Ensemble of Finland European Union Baroque Orchestra Roy Goodman (conductor) MUSICA OSCURA 070970 CD 2 Tracks 6 - 9 incl. JS BACH: St Mark Passion - Chorale: Keinem hat Gott verlassen / Recit / Chorus / Recit (yields up the ghost) / Aria: Duet: Welt and Himmel nehmt zu Ohren Christoph Pregardien (Evangelist) The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir Boys of the Breda Sacrament Choir Ton Koopman (conductor) ERATO 8573-80221-2 CD 2 Tracks 30 - 34 JS BACH: St Mark Passion - Final chorus: Bei deinem Grab und Leichenstein / Beside thy great tomb Amarcord Kölner Akademie Michael Alexander Willens (director) CARUS 83.244 Track 44.