Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle

Berliner Philharmoniker 
Sir Simon Rattle  Conductor
Camilla Tilling  Soprano
Magdalena Kožená  Mezzo-Soprano
Topi Lehtipuu 
Mark Padmore 
Thomas Quasthoff  Baritone
Christian Gerhaher  Baritone
Rundfunkchor Berlin 
Simon Halsey  Chorus Master
Knaben des Staats- und Domchors Berlin 
Kai-Uwe Jirka  Chorus Master
Peter Sellars  Ritualization

Johann Sebastian Bach
St Matthew Passion 

Introductory presentation 6 p.m.

There is a real rarity value to the Berliner Philharmoniker performing Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at the Philharmonie. Even Herbert von Karajan, who was very fond of the work, never conducted the Passion in Berlin. So this upcoming performance with Sir Simon at the helm will be only the second in the last 40 years.

It is no surprise that Sir Simon would one day tackle this most comprehensive of Bach’s compositions in view of his much applauded interpretation of the St. John Passion in 2006. The Berliner Morgenpost wrote at the time: “A performance of this musical calibre renders superfluous all questions about authenticity and historical performance practice. At the Philharmonie Sir Simon Rattle and his orchestra performed the St. John Passion [...] with highly concentrated and flawless beauty devoid of any distorting indulgence.”