St John Passion discography

History

The work was first recorded by symphonic choirs and orchestras. From the late 1960s, historically informed performances (HIP) tried to adhere more to the sounds of the composer's lifetime, who typically wrote for boys choirs and for comparatively small orchestras of Baroque instruments, often now called "period instruments". Some scholars believe that Bach used only one singer for a vocal part in the choral movements, termed "one voice per part" (OVPP). On some of these recordings, the solo singer is reinforced in choral movements with a larger orchestra by a ripieno singer (OVPP+R).

Table of selected recordings

The sortable listing is taken mostly from the selection provided by Aryeh Oron on the Bach-Cantatas website.

The information lists for one recording typically:

• Conductor / choir / orchestra, sometimes several choirs

• Soloists in the order Evangelist (tenor), Vox Christi (Voice of Jesus, bass), soprano, alto, tenor (if the tenor arias are performed by a different tenor than the evangelist), bass (if the bass parts are performed by a different bass than the voice of Jesus).

• Label

• Year of the recording

• Choir type

  1. Large choirs (red background): Bach (choir dedicated to Bach's music, founded in the mid of the 20th century), Boys (choir of all male voices), Radio (choir of a broadcaster), Symphony (choir related to a symphony orchestra)
  2. Medium-size choirs, such as Chamber choir, Chorale (choir dedicated mostly to church music)
  3. One voice per part (green background): OVPP or OVPP+R (with ripienists reinforcing the soloists in some chorale movements)

• Orch. type (orchestra type)

  1. Large orchestras (red background): Bach (orchestra dedicated to Bach's music, founded in the mid of the 20th century), Radio (symphony orchestra of a broadcaster), Symphony
  2. Chamber orchestra
  3. Orchestra on period instruments (green background)

• Ernst Haefliger

• Franz Kelch

• Agnes Giebel

• Marga Höffgen

• Hans-Olaf Hudemann

• Julius Patzak

• Gérard Souzay

• Uta Graf

• Marga Höffgen

• Walter Berry

• John van Kesteren

• Hans Hotter

• Elisabeth Grümmer

• Marga Höffgen

• Peter Pears

• Kieth Engen

• Peter Pears

• David Ward

• Elizabeth Harwood

• Helen Watts

• Alexander Young

• Harvey Alan

• Helmut Krebs

• Franz Kelch

• Friederike Sailer

• Marga Höffgen

• Hermann Werdermann

• Ernst Haefliger

• Hermann Prey

• Evelyn Lear

• Hertha Töpper

• Kieth Engen

• Wiener Sängerknaben

• Chorus Viennensis

• Kurt Equiluz

• Max van Egmond

• boy soprano and alto soloists of the Wiener Sängerknaben

• Bert van t'Hoff

• Jacques Villisech

• Ernst Haefliger

• Peter van der Bilt

• Ursula Buckel

• Hertha Töpper

• Dieter Ellenbeck

• Walter Berry

• Elly Ameling

• Julia Hamari

• Werner Hollweg

• Hermann Prey

• Marius van Altena

• Max van Egmond

• Marjanne Kweksilber

• Charles Brett

• Harry Geraerts

• Harry van der Kamp

• Peter Schreier

• Philippe Huttenlocher

• Arleen Augér

• Julia Hamari

• Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

• Christoph Prégardien

• Harry van der Kamp

• Barbara Schlick

• René Jacobs

• Nico van der Meel

• Max van Egmond

• Howard Crook

• Peter Lika

• Barbara Schlick

• Catherine Patriasz

• William Kendall

• Peter Kooy

• Markus Schäfer

• Hans Griepentrog

• Christiane Oelze,

• Monica Groop

• Michael Volle

• Anthony Rolfe Johnson

• Stephen Varcoe

• Nancy Argenta

• Ruth Holton

• Michael Chance

• Rufus Müller

• Cornelius Hauptmann

• Tessa Bonner

• David Thomas

• Rogers Covey-Crump

• Christian Fliegner

• Simon Grant

• Guy de Mey

• Peter Kooy

• Barbara Schlick

• Kai Wessel

• Gerd Türk

• Klaus Mertens

• Ian Bostridge

• Franz-Josef Selig

• Sibylla Rubens

• Andreas Scholl

• Werner Güra

• Dietrich Henschel

• Gerd Türk

• Peter Kooy

• Ingrid Schmithüsen, Yoshikazu Mera

• Lothar Odinius

• Peter Lika

• Hellen Kwon

• Ursula Eittinger

• Wolfgang Newerla

• Ian Bostridge

• Thomas Quasthoff

• Juliane Banse

• Michael Chance

• Rainer Trost

• Gerd Türk

• Stephan MacLeod

• Caroline Stam

• Peter de Groot

• Charles Daniels

• Bas Ramselaar

• Marcus Ullmann

• Gotthold Schwarz

• Ruth Holton

• Matthias Rexroth

• Henryk Böhm

• Charles Daniels

• William Sharp

• Julia Doyle

• Daniel Taylor

• Benjamin Butterfield

• Christòpheren Nomura

• David Newman

• Nicholas Mulroy

• Matthew Brook

• Joanne Lunn

• Claire Wilkinson

• James Gilchrist

• Matthew Rose

• Ashley Riches

• Elizabeth Watts

• Sarah Connolly

• Andrew Kennedy

• Christopher Purves

• James Gilchrist

• Neal Davies

• Sophie Bevan

• Iestyn Davies

• Ed Lyon

• Roderick Williams

• Benedict Kearns

• Toby Ward

References

Sources

• St. John Passion Commentary, musical examples, list of recordings, and other information on bach-cantatas