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Expressive, dramatic, moving: Johann Sebastian Bach's St John Passion is considered the more haunting of the two Passion settings in comparison with its famous sister work, the St Matthew Passion. Conductor Raphaël Pichon is also attracted to the St John Passion by the extent to which the drastically depicted story of suffering and hope is able to touch people even in the 21st century. ‘Our approach is humanistic. We don't deny the religious content of these cantatas, but above all we wanted to emphasise the humanity, hope and light that Johann Sebastian Bach conveys,’ says Pichon. Together with his ensemble Pygmalion and outstanding vocal soloists, the French conductor is bringing this masterpiece of oratorio literature to the Alte Oper at Passiontide.
