St. Matthew Passion

This concert features perhaps the most ambitious work Bach ever composed, St. Matthew Passion. First performed on Good Friday in 1727 and revived a handful of times in Bach’s lifetime, the St. Matthew Passion fell into obscurity upon his death in 1750. It was only in 1829 that the work was revived, after some five years of score editing and preparation by the industrious and gifted 20-year-old Felix Mendelssohn. Last played in Carnegie Hall in 2013 by Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the orchestra will be joined by the Handel and Haydn Society and La Chapelle de Quebec choruses and a magnificent line up of guest vocalists to fill the hall with sounds of this dramatic oratorio. In the words of OSL Principal Conductor Bernard Labadie, “I remain in awe of the complexity, depth and humanity of this ultimate masterpiece.”

Orchestra of St. Luke’s artistic underwriting for this performance is provided by a generous gift from Norman S. Benzaquen.

Orchestra of St. Luke’s is grateful to the Québec Government Office in New York and the Council for Canadian American Relations for their support of this performance.