Masaaki Suzukiand his Bach Collegium Japanmade their first recording of the St Matthew Passionin March 1999. Twenty years later, in April 2019, it was time once again, as the singers and
players gathered in the concert hall of the Saitama Arts Theaterin Japan. ‘A profound joy’ is how Masaaki Suzuki describes his emotion at the opportunity to record Bach’s great fresco of
Christ’s Passion for a second time. And this time, he and his ensemble have brought with them into the concert hall a profound and collective familiarity with Bach’s choral music, after
having recorded more or less all of it in the meantime, including the complete sacred cantatas.
For his Evangelist, Suzuki has selected the young German tenor Benjamin Bruns, making his first appearance on BIS. Among the other soloists are familiar names including Carolyn Sampson,
Damien Guillon, Makoto Sakuradaand Christian Immler.
ohann Sebastian Bach (1685—1750)
St Matthew Passion, BWV 244 Matthäus-Passion
The Passion of our Lord J[esus] C[hrist] according to the Evangelist Matthew
Bach Collegium Japan chorus & orchestra
Masaaki Suzuki conductor
Benjamin Bruns Evangelist
Carolyn Sampson soprano I · Aki Matsui soprano II Damien Guillon alto I · Clint van der Linde alto II Makoto Sakurada tenor I · Zachary Wilder tenor II Christian Immler bass I — Jesus
· Toru Kaku bass II
2-DISC SET TT: 163'14
