St Matthew Passion discography

Recordings of the St Matthew Passion are shown as a list of selected notable recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion. As of 2010, 175 recordings are listed on the bach-cantatas website. See also St John Passion discography.

The information lists typically

• the conductor, label, time of recording

choir, orchestra

soloists in the order Evangelist, Vox Christi (Voice of Jesus), soprano, contralto, tenor (if the tenor arias are performed by a different tenor), bass.

Some recordings have different soloists for choir 1 and choir 2.

On modern instruments

• Willem Mengelberg, Philips, 1/1939

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Amsterdam Toonkunstkoor & "Zanglust" Jongenskoor (choir master Willem Hespe)

Soloists: Karl Erb, Willem Ravelli, Jo Vincent, Ilona Durigo, Louis van Tulder, Hermann Schey

• Reginald Jacques, Decca 1947

The Bach Choir / The Jacques Orchestra

Soloists: Eric Greene, Henry Cummings, Elsie Suddaby, Kathleen Ferrier, William Parsons

• Fritz Lehmann, Vox 1949

Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks Boys’ Choir of the St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale Berlin

Soloists: Helmut Krebs, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elfriede Trötschel, Diana Eustrati, Friedrich Härtel

• Anthon van der Horst, Telefunken, 1957

De Nederlandse Bachvereniging, Residentie Orkest, Boys Choir of the Vredesscholen (Peace Schools) Amsterdam

Soloists: Tom Brand, Laurens Bogtman, Erna Spoorenberg, Annie Hermes, David Hollestelle, Guus Hoekman, Arjan Blanken

• Fritz Werner, Erato, 1958

Heinrich-Schütz-Chor Heilbronn, Boys Choir of Robert-Mayer-School of Heilbronn, Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra

Soloists: Helmut Krebs, Franz Kelch, Agnes Giebel, Renate Günther, Hermann Werdermann

• Karl Richter, Archiv Produktion, 1959, later re-released (Choruses & Arias only) on Deutsche Grammophon.

Münchener Bach-Chor, Münchener Chorknaben, Münchener Bach-Orchester

Soloists: Ernst Haefliger, Kieth Engen, Irmgard Seefried, Antonia Fahberg, Hertha Töpper, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Max Proebstl

• Erhard Mauersberger and Rudolf Mauersberger, conductors, Eterna 1962, Berlin Classics released again 2005

Dresdner Kreuzchor & Thomanerchor, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig

Soloists: Peter Schreier, Theo Adam, Adele Stolte, Annelies Burmeister, Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, Günther Leib (review in German 2005)

• Otto Klemperer, EMI, 1962

Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus

Soloists: Peter Pears, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig, Heather Harper, Geraint Evans, Walter Berry

• Leonard Bernstein, Columbia Masterworks Records, 1962, later re-released on Sony Masterworks. Slightly abridged and sung in English

New York Philharmonic, Collegiate Chorale

Soloists, Adele Addison, William Wildermann, David Lloyd, Charles Bressler, Donaldson Bell, Betty Allen

• Wolfgang Gönnenwein, EMI 1968

Süddeutscher Madrigalchor

Soloists: Theo Altmeyer, Franz Crass (Jesus), Teresa Żylis-Gara, Julia Hamari, Nicolai Gedda, Hermann Prey

• Claudio Abbado, Dino Classics 1969

Coro di Voci Bianche dell'Oratorio dell'Immacolata di Bergamo, Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Milano della RAI

Soloists: Peter Schreier, Hermann Prey, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Margarita Lilova, Max van Egmond

• Karl Richter, cond. Archiv Produktion, 1969, recorded live at Bunka-Kaykan, Tokyo

Münchener Bach-Chor, Münchener Chorknaben, Münchener Bach-Orchester

Soloists: Ernst Haefliger, Keith Engen, Ursula Buckel, Marga Höffgen, Peter van der Bilt

• Herbert von Karajan, Deutsche Grammophon, 1/1972

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Singverein (choir master : Helmut Froschauer), Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin (choir master : Walter Hagen-Groll), Knabenstimmen des Staats- und Domchores, Berlin (choir master : Karl Heinz Kaiser)

Soloists: Peter Schreier, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gundula Janowitz, Christa Ludwig, Horst Laubenthal, Walter Berry, Anton Diakov

• Charles de Wolff, COrneMuse, 1977

De Nederlandse Bachvereniging, Residentie Orkest, Koorschool St. Bavo

Soloists: Kurt Equiluz, Max van Egmond, Sheila Armstrong, Maureen Lehane, Neil Jenkins, Hermann Christian Polster

• Helmuth Rilling, Columbia Masterworks Records, 1978, later re-released on Sony Masterworks

Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart and the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart

Soloists: Adalbert Kraus, Siegmund Nimsgern, Arleen Augér, Ann Murray, Julia Hamari, Aldo Baldin, Philippe Huttenlocher

• Sir David Willcocks, Decca Records, 1979, re-released in 2006 on Universal Classics. Sung in English.

The Thames Chamber Orchestra, The Bach Choir and The Boys of St. Paul's Cathedral Choir

Soloists: Robert Tear, John Shirley-Quirk, Felicity Lott, Alfreda Hodgson, Neil Jenkins, Stephen Roberts

• Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Teldec Records, 1985

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Concertgebouw Chorus

Soloists: : Kurt Equiluz, Robert Holl, Arleen Augér, et al.

• Sir Georg Solti, Decca Records, 1988

Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus

Soloists: Hans Peter Blochwitz, Olaf Bär, Kiri Te Kanawa, Anne Sofie von Otter, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Tom Krause

• Seiji Ozawa, Philips Records, 1997

Saito Kinen Orchestra, SKF Matsumoto Children’s Choir & Tokyo Opera Singers

Soloists: John Mark Ainsley, Thomas Quasthoff, Christiane Oelze, Nathalie Stutzmann, Stanford Olsen, Michael Volle, Katsunori Kono

• Riccardo Chailly, Decca Records, 2009

Gewandhaus Orchestra, Tölzer Knabenchor, Thomanerchor

Soloists: Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Christina Landshammer, Johannes Chum, Thomas Quasthoff

On period instruments

• Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Teldec, 1970

Concentus Musicus Wien, Boy's Voices of the Regensburger Domspatzen, Men's Voices of the King's College Choir Cambridge

Soloists: Kurt Equiluz, Karl Ridderbusch, boy soprano soloists of the Wiener Sängerknaben, Paul Esswood, Tom Sutcliffe, James Bowman, Nigel Rogers, Max van Egmond, Michael Schopper

This was the first recording of the St. Matthew Passion to use period instruments.

• Philippe Herreweghe, Harmonia Mundi, 1985

La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent

Soloists: Howard Crook, Ulrik Cold, Barbara Schlick, René Jacobs, Hans-Peter Blochwitz, Peter Kooy

• John Eliot Gardiner, Archiv Produktion, 1989

English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir

Soloists: Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Andreas Schmidt, Barbara Bonney, Anne Sofie von Otter, Michael Chance, Howard Crook, Olaf Bär

• Gustav Leonhardt, deutsche harmonia mundi, 1989

La Petite Bande, Tölzer Knabenchor, Men's Choir of La Petite Bande

Soloists: Christoph Prégardien, Max van Egmond, members of the Tölzer Knabenchor, René Jacobs, David Cordier, Markus Schäfer, John Elwes, Klaus Mertens, Peter Lika

• Ton Koopman, Erato, 1993

De Nederlandse Bachvereniging, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra

Soloists: Guy de Mey, Peter Kooy, Barbara Schlick, Kai Wessel, Christoph Prégardien, Klaus Mertens

• Frans Brüggen, Philips, 1996

Boys’ Choir of St Bavo's Cathedral, Haarlem & Nederlands Kamerkoor, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century

Soloists: Nico van der Meel, Kristinn Sigmundsson, sopranos: María Cristina Kiehr, Mona Julsrud, contraltos: Claudia Schubert, Wilke te Brummelstroete, tenors: Ian Bostridge, Toby Spence, basses: Peter Kooy, Harry van der Kamp

• Jos van Veldhoven, Channel Classics, 1997

De Nederlandse Bachvereniging

Soloists: Gerd Türk, Geert Schmits, Johannette Zomer, Andreas Scholl, Hans-Jorg Mammel, Peter Kooy

• Philippe Herreweghe, Harmonia Mundi, 1998

Collegium Vocale Gent

Soloists: Ian Bostridge, Franz-Josef Selig, Sibylla Rubens, Andreas Scholl, Werner Güra, Dietrich Henschel

• Masaaki Suzuki, BIS, 1999

Bach Collegium Japan

Soloists: Gerd Türk, Peter Kooy, Nancy Argenta, Robin Blaze, Makoto Sakurada, Chiyuki Urano

• Heinz Hennig, Thorofon Apr 2000

Knabenchor Hannover & Thomanerchor Leipzig (direction: Georg Christoph Biller) / Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin & Barockorchester L'ARCO

Gerd Türk, Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Elisabeth Scholl, Nathalie Stutzmann, Andreas Karasiak, Thomas Mohr

• Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Teldec. 2001 Grammy Award for "Best Choral Performance", 2001 Gramophone magazine award for "Best Baroque Vocal Recording"

Concentus Musicus Wien, Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Wiener Sängerknaben

Soloists: Christoph Prégardien, Matthias Goerne, Dorothea Röschmann, Michael Schade, Elisabeth von Magnus, Markus Schäfer, Dietrich Henschel, Christine Schäfer, Jan Leibnitz, Oliver Widmer, Bernarda Fink

• Enoch zu Guttenberg, Farao Classics, 2003

Orchester der Klangverwaltung, Chorgemeinschaft Neubeuern, Tölzer Knabenchor

Soloists: Marcus Ullmann, Klaus Mertens, Anna Korondi, Anke Vondung, Werner Güra, Hans Christoph Begemann

• Ton Koopman, Challenge Classics, 2006

Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir

Soloists: Jörg Dürmüller, Ekkehard Abele, Cornelia Samuelis, Bogna Bartosz, Paul Agnew, Klaus Mertens

• Jos van Veldhoven, Channel Classics, 2010

De Nederlandse Bachvereniging, Kampen Boys Choir

Soloists: Gerd Türk, Geert Schmits, Amaryllis Dieltiens, Siri Thornhill, Tim Mead, Matthew White, Julian Podger, Charles Daniels, Peter Harvey, Sebastian Noack

On period instruments with one-voice-per-part

• Paul McCreesh, cond. Archiv Produktion, 2003.

Gabrieli Consort and Players

Soloists: Choir 1: Deborah York, Magdalena Kožená, Mark Padmore, Peter Harvey. Choir 2: Julia Gooding, Susan Bickley, James Gilchrist, Stephan Loges - this recording uses one singer per part throughout.

• John A Butt, cond. Linn Records, 2008

Dunedin Consort

Soloists: Choir 1: Nicholas Mulroy (Evangelist), Matthew Brook (Jesus), Soprano: Susan Hamilton, Alto: Claire Wilkinson. Choir 2: Soprano: Cecilia Osmond; Alto: Annie Gill; Tenor: Malcolm Bennett; Bass: Brian Bannatyne-Scott. This is the second recording of the St. Matthew Passion to use one voice per part throughout.

• Sigiswald Kuijken, cond. Challenge Classics, 2008

La Petite Bande

Soloists: Christoph Genz, Jan van der Crabben, Sopranos Gerlinde Sämann, Marie Kuijken; Altos: Petra Noskaiová, Patrizia Hardt; Tenor: Bernhard Hunziker; Bass Marcus Niedermeyr [1]

External links

• Libretto with English translation
• St. Matthew Passion Commentary, musical examples, list of recordings on the website bach-cantatas
• Side-by-side arrangement of the original text and an English translation
• Matthäuspassion: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
• Matthäuspassion, early edition (BWV 244b): Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.