St Matthew Passion with the RCO

"Three hundred years ago, on 11 April 1727, Bach’s St Matthew Passion premiered. Following the masterpiece’s rediscovery in the nineteenth century, the ‘Matthäus’ became an absolute favorite among music lovers in the Netherlands, thanks in part to the Concertgebouw Orchestra's Passion tradition. Johann Sebastian Bach set the story of the Passion to music in such an empathetic and compelling way that it leaves no one unmoved.

This time, Leonardo García-Alarcón shares his vision of Bach’s immortal masterpiece with you. The Baroque specialist made a profound impression during his 2022 debut and is now a guest of the Concertgebouw Orchestra for the third time.

The Concertgebouw Orchestra’s annual Passion performance is one of the longest-running concert traditions in the world. In 1899, chief conductor Willem Mengelberg introduced the annual performance of Bach’s mighty St Matthew Passion during Holy Week. Since 1975, the orchestra has alternated the Passion according to Matthew with Bach’s equally masterful St John Passion.