Johannes-Passion BWV 245 (Passio Secundum Joannem)

Johann Sebastian Bach composed the Johannes-Passion (St John Passion) in 1724 during his first year as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, intending for it to be performed on Good Friday at the St Nicholas Church. The work was conceived as a dramatic and meditative retelling of the passion narrative according to the Gospel of John, characterized by its intense emotional urgency and complex choral writing that distinguishes it from his later, more introspective St Matthew Passion.

This specific 1978 ETERNA pressing features the Thomanerchor and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under the direction of Hans-Joachim Rotzsch. This recording represents a significant moment in the tradition of the Leipzig Bach school, as it captures the performers who held the direct institutional lineage to Bach's own music-making. The recording is noted for its authentic local aesthetic, emphasizing clarity and architectural precision within the acoustic environment of the historic Leipzig churches where the work was originally intended to be heard.