St Matthew Passion with the Residentie Orchestra

An immortal tale

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The St Matthew Passion is not merely a tradition; it is a story that must be retold every single year. In this performance, Jan Willem de Vriend exposes the human fibers within the music: the doubt, the anger, the grief, but also the compassion. With an exquisite ensemble of soloists and two choirs providing both moments of stillness and explosive redemption, you will experience the final days of Jesus Christ as an intense, living drama.

"Bach composed the St Matthew Passion as a diptych in which everything is in dialogue: chorus against aria, Evangelist against Christ, reason against emotion. This is a story of betrayal and loss, but also of a community trying to comprehend what is unfolding. De Vriend emphasizes this layered dialogue—at times a mere whisper, at others sharp and piercing. With Nick Pritchard as an alert Evangelist, Andreas Wolf as a warm and dignified Christ, and the Netherlands Chamber Choir and Hague Boys' Choir, the result is a performance that brings the great narrative close: not just as a monument, but as a human document.