Heinrich Schütz: St. Matthew Passion

February 29.03, 17 p.m

Heinrich Schütz: the Matthäuspassion (Concert Series Early Music #3, see flyer)

 St. George's Church Neuenbürg

Eintritt frei

Ensemble Septimbre (Julia Heidemann, Sun Kim, Lukas Ruckelshausen, Christian D. Karl)

Pastor Florian Lampadius (evangelist)

Heinrich Schütz composed this setting of the biblical Passion text (Matthew 26 & 27) in 1666 for the liturgy of Dresden's Castle Church, where it was first performed on Judica Sunday. As was customary in many places at the time, no musical instruments were permitted to be played in services during Lent in Dresden. Therefore, Schütz conceived this—as well as his other Passions—as a purely a cappella work, not even including a basso continuo part. The result is a fragile and intimate work of sound art, which, precisely through its economical and concentrated structure, lends the Passion text enormous plasticity and a pull that draws the audience directly into the action.