St Matthew Passion discography

Recordings of the St Matthew Passion are shown as a sortable table of selected notable recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion.

The selection is taken from the 253 recordings listed on bach-cantatas as of 2015, beginning with a recording from 1939 by a symphony orchestra and choir to match. Beginning in the late 1960s, historically informed performances paved the way for recordings with smaller groups, boys choirs and ensembles playing period instruments, taken to an extreme in recordings using only one voice on a vocal part.

History

The work was first recorded by symphonic choirs and orchestras. From the late 1960s, historically informed performances (HIP) tried to adhere more to the sounds of the composer's lifetime, who typically wrote for boys choirs and for comparatively small orchestras of Baroque instruments, often now called "period instruments". Some scholars believe that Bach used only one singer for a vocal part in the choral movements, termed "one voice per part" (OVPP). On some of these recordings, the solo singer is reinforced in choral movements with a larger orchestra by a ripieno singer (OVPP+R).

The first recording of the work was conducted by David McKinley Williams with the choir of St. Bartholomew, New York in 1930, but was not complete. Serge Koussevitzky conducted a performance on Good Friday 1937, sung in English. The table begins with the recording conducted by Willem Mengelberg in 1939. In 1970 the first HIP recording appeared, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. The first OVPP recording appeared in 2003, conducted by Paul McCreesh.

Table of selected recordings

The sortable listing is taken mostly from the selection provided by Aryeh Oron on the Bach-Cantatas website.

The information lists for one recording typically:

• Conductor / choir / orchestra, often several choirs
• Soloists in the order Evangelist (tenor), Vox Christi (Voice of Jesus, bass), soprano, alto, tenor (if the tenor arias are performed by a different tenor than the evangelist), bass. Sometimes the soloists are different for Choir I and II.
• Label
• Year of the recording
• Choir type
• Choir type
  1. Large choirs (red background): Bach (choir dedicated to Bach's music, founded in the mid of the 20th century), Boys (choir of all male voices), Radio (choir of a broadcaster), Symphony (choir related to a symphony orchestra)
  2. Medium-size choirs, such as Chamber choir, Chorale (choir dedicated mostly to church music), Madrigal
  3. One voice per part (green background): OVPP or OVPP+R (with ripienists reinforcing the soloists in some chorale movements)
• Orch. type (orchestra type)
  1. Large orchestras (red background): Large (unspecified), Bach (orchestra dedicated to Bach's music, founded in the mid of the 20th century), Radio (symphony orchestra of a broadcaster), Opera, Symphony
  2. Chamber orchestra
  3. Orchestra on period instruments (green background)
• Comments

Recordings of Bach's St Matthew Passion, BWV 244

Conductor / Choir / Orchestra	Soloists	Label	Year	Choir type	Orch. type	Comments
Willem Mengelberg Amsterdam Toonkunstkoor "Zanglust" Jongenskoor Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra	Karl Erb Willem Ravelli Jo Vincent Ilona Durigo Louis van Tulder Hermann Schey	Philips	1939 (1939)	Large	Symphony
Reginald Jacques The Bach Choir The Jacques Orchestra	Eric Greene Henry Cummings Elsie Suddaby Kathleen Ferrier William Parsons	Decca	1947 (1947)	Bach	Large	Revised by Elgar & Atkins. Sung in English, and the translation was done by Troutbeck & Johnson. Omits Nos. 11, 21, 65, 66; Abridged Nos. 10, 12
Fritz Lehmann Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks Boys’ Choir of the St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale Berlin Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin	Helmut Krebs Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Elfriede Trötschel Diana Eustrati Friedrich Härtel	Vox	1949 (1949)	Radio	Radio
Hermann Scherchen Wiener Akademie-Kammerchor Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera	Hugues Cuénod Heinz Rehfuss Magda Lászlò Hilde Rössel-Majdan Petre Munteanu Richard Standen	Westminster	1953 (1953)		Symphony
Ralph Vaughan Williams Leith Hill Musical Festival Chorus Leith Hill Musical Festival Orchestra	Eric Greene Gordon Clinton Pauline Brockless Nancy Evans Wilfred Brown John Carol Case		1958 (1958)		Large
Fritz Werner Heinrich-Schütz-Chor Heilbronn Boys Choir of Robert-Mayer-School of Heilbronn Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra	Helmut Krebs Franz Kelch Agnes Giebel Renate Günther Hermann Werdermann	Erato	1958 (1958)		Chamber
Mogens Wöldike Schottenstift Boys Choir Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera	Uno Ebrelius Hans Braun Teresa Stich-Randall Hilde Rössel-Majdan Waldemar Kmentt Walter Berry	Vanguard Classics	1959 (1959)	Boys	Opera
Karl Richter Münchener Bach-Chor Münchener Chorknaben Münchener Bach-Orchester	Ernst Haefliger de Irmgard Seefried Antonia Fahberg Hertha Töpper Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Max Proebstl	Archiv Produktion	1959 (1959)	Bach	Bach	later re-issued (choruses & arias only) on Deutsche Grammophon
Erhard Mauersberger Rudolf Mauersberger Dresdner Kreuzchor Thomanerchor Gewandhausorchester	Peter Schreier, Theo Adam, Adele Stolte, Annelies Burmeister, Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, Günther Leib	Eterna	1962 (1962)	Boys	Symphony	collaboration of two conductors (and brothers) and their boys' choirs, re-issued in 2005 Berlin Classics
Otto Klemperer Philharmonia Chorus Philharmonia Orchestra	Peter Pears Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Christa Ludwig Nicolai Gedda Walter Berry Heather Harper Geraint Evans	EMI	1962 (1962)	Symphony	Symphony
Leonard Bernstein Collegiate Chorale New York Philharmonic	David Lloyd William Wildermann Adele Addison Betty Allen Charles Bressler Donaldson Bell	Columbia Masterworks Records	1962 (1962)	Chorale	Symphony	sightly abridged, sung in English, later re-issued on Sony Masterworks
Wolfgang Gönnenwein Süddeutscher Madrigalchor Consortium Musicum	Theo Altmeyer Franz Crass Teresa Żylis-Gara Julia Hamari Nicolai Gedda Hermann Prey	EMI	1968 (1968)	Madrigal	Chamber
Claudio Abbado Coro di Voci Bianche dell'Oratorio dell'Immacolata di Bergamo Coro di Milano della RAI Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI	Peter Schreier Hermann Prey Teresa Żylis-Gara Margarita Lilova Max van Egmond	Dino Classics	1969 (1969)	Radio	Radio
Karl Richter Münchener Bach-Chor Münchener Chorknaben Münchener Bach-Orchester	Ernst Haefliger de Ursula Buckel Marga Höffgen Peter van der Bilt	Archiv Produktion	1969 (1969)	Bach	Bach	recorded live at Bunka-Kaykan, Tokyo
Nikolaus Harnoncourt Regensburger Domspatzen Men's Voices of the King's College Choir Concentus Musicus Wien	Kurt Equiluz Karl Ridderbusch boy soprano soloists of the Wiener Sängerknaben Paul Esswood Tom Sutcliffe James Bowman Nigel Rogers Max van Egmond Michael Schopper	Teldec	1970 (1970)	Boys	Period	First HIP
Herbert von Karajan Wiener Singverein Choir of the Deutsche Oper Berlin Boys' voices of the Staats- und Domchor, Berlin Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra	Peter Schreier Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Gundula Janowitz Christa Ludwig Horst Laubenthal Walter Berry Anton Diakov	Deutsche Grammophon	1972 (1972)	Large	Symphony
Johan van der Meer Groningse Bachvereniging Leonhardt Consort Altarus-Ensemble Musica da Camera	Kurt Equiluz Karl Ridderbusch boy soprano soloists of the Wiener Sängerknaben Marius van Altena Max van Egmond three soloists of the Tölzer Knabenchor René Jacobs Harry Geraerts Michiel ten Houte de Lange Frits van Erven Dorens Harry van der Kamp	Groningse Bachvereniging	1973 (1973)	Bach	Period
Charles de Wolff De Nederlandse Bachvereniging Koorschool St. Bavo Residentie Orkest	Kurt Equiluz Max van Egmond Sheila Armstrong Maureen Lehane Neil Jenkins Hermann Christian Polster	COrneMuse	1977 (1977)	Bach	Period
Helmuth Rilling Gächinger Kantorei Bach-Collegium Stuttgart	Adalbert Kraus Siegmund Nimsgern Arleen Augér Ann Murray Julia Hamari Aldo Baldin Philippe Huttenlocher	Columbia Masterworks Records	1978 (1978)	Chorale	Chamber	later re-issued on Sony Masterworks
David Willcocks The Bach Choir Boys of St. Paul's Cathedral choir Thames Chamber Orchestra	Robert Tear John Shirley-Quirk Felicity Lott Alfreda Hodgson Neil Jenkins Stephen Roberts	Decca Records	1979 (1979)	Bach	Chamber	Sung in English, re-issued in 2006 on Universal Classics
Karl Richter Münchener Bach-Chor Regensburger Domspatzen Münchener Bach-Orchester	Peter Schreier Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Edith Mathis Janet Baker Matti Salminen	Archiv Produktion	1979 (1979)	Bach	Bach	5th recording Richter, recorded at Herkules-Saal; last recording of work by Richter (recorded 2 years before his death)
Philippe Herreweghe Collegium Vocale Gent La Chapelle Royale	Howard Crook Ulrik Cold Barbara Schlick René Jacobs Hans-Peter Blochwitz Peter Kooy	Harmonia Mundi	1985 (1985)		Period
Peter Schreier Rundfunkchor Leigpzig Staatskapelle Dresden	Peter Schreier Theo Adam Lucia Popp Marjana Lipovšek Eberhardt Büchner Robert Holl	Philips	1985 (1985)	Radio	Symphony
Georg Solti Chicago Symphony Chorus Chicago Symphony Orchestra	Hans Peter Blochwitz Olaf Bär Kiri Te Kanawa Anne Sofie von Otter Anthony Rolfe Johnson Tom Krause	Decca	1988 (1988)	Symphony	Symphony
John Eliot Gardiner Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists	Anthony Rolfe Johnson Andreas Schmidt Barbara Bonney Anne Sofie von Otter Michael Chance Howard Crook Olaf Bär	Archiv	1989 (1989)		Period
Gustav Leonhardt Tölzer Knabenchor Men's choir of La Petite Bande La Petite Bande	Christoph Prégardien Max van Egmond soprano soloists of the Tölzer Knabenchor René Jacobs Markus Schäfer Klaus Mertens David Cordier John Elwes Peter Lika	Deutsche Harmonia Mundi	1989 (1989)		Period
Ton Koopman De Nederlandse Bachvereniging Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra	Guy de Mey Peter Kooy Barbara Schlick Kai Wessel Christoph Prégardien Klaus Mertens	Erato	1993 (1993)		Period
Stephen Cleobury King's College Choir Choir of Jesus College Cambridge Brandenburg Consort	Rogers Covey-Crump Michael George Emma Kirkby Michael Chance Martyn Hill David Thomas	Brilliant Classics/Regis	1994 (1994)	Boys	Period
Frans Brüggen Boys’ Choir of St Bavo's Cathedral, Haarlem Nederlands Kamerkoor Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century	Nico van der Meel Kristinn Sigmundsson María Cristina Kiehr Claudia Schubert Mona Julsrud Ian Bostridge Peter Kooy Wilke te Brummelstroete Toby Spence Harry van der Kamp	Philips	1996 (1996)	Chamber	Period
Jos van Veldhoven De Nederlandse Bachvereniging De Nederlandse Bachvereniging	Gerd Türk Geert Schmits Johannette Zomer Andreas Scholl Hans-Jörg Mammel Peter Kooy	Channel Classics	1997 (1997)		Period
Seiji Ozawa SKF Matsumoto Children’s Choir & Tokyo Opera Singers Saito Kinen Orchestra	John Mark Ainsley Thomas Quasthoff Christiane Oelze Nathalie Stutzmann Stanford Olsen Michael Volle Katsunori Kono	Philips	1997 (1997)	Radio	Radio
Philippe Herreweghe Collegium Vocale Gent Collegium Vocale Gent	Ian Bostridge Franz-Josef Selig Sibylla Rubens Andreas Scholl Werner Güra Dietrich Henschel	Harmonia Mundi	1998 (1998)		Period
Masaaki Suzuki Bach Collegium Japan Bach Collegium Japan	Gerd Türk Peter Kooy Nancy Argenta Robin Blaze Makoto Sakurada Chiyuki Urano	BIS	1999 (1999)		Period
Heinz Hennig Knabenchor Hannover Thomanerchor Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin Barockorchester L'ARCO	Gerd Türk de Elisabeth Scholl Nathalie Stutzmann Andreas Karasiak Thomas Mohr	Thorofon	2000 (2000)	Boys	Period	Collaboration of two boys' choirs
Nikolaus Harnoncourt Arnold Schoenberg Chor Wiener Sängerknaben Concentus Musicus Wien	Kurt Equiluz Karl Ridderbusch soprano soloists of the Wiener Sängerknaben Christoph Prégardien Matthias Goerne Dorothea Röschmann Michael Schade Elisabeth von Magnus Markus Schäfer Dietrich Henschel Christine Schäfer Jan Leibnitz Oliver Widmer Bernarda Fink	Teldec	2001 (2001)		Period	2001 Grammy Award for "Best Choral Performance", 2001 Gramophone magazine award for "Best Baroque Vocal Recording"
Paul McCreesh Gabrieli Consort and Players	Deborah York Magdalena Kožená Mark Padmore Peter Harvey Julia Gooding Susan Bickley James Gilchrist Stephan Loges	Archiv Produktion	2003 (2003)	OVPP	Period	First OVPP
Enoch zu Guttenberg Chorgemeinschaft Neubeuern Tölzer Knabenchor Orchester der Klangverwaltung	Marcus Ullmann Klaus Mertens Anna Korondi Anke Vondung Werner Güra Hans Christoph Begemann	Farao Classics	2003 (2003)	Large	Large
Ton Koopman Amsterdam Baroque Choir Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra	Jörg Dürmüller Ekkehard Abele Cornelia Samuelis Bogna Bartosz Paul Agnew Klaus Mertens	Challenge Classics	2006 (2006)		Period
John Butt Dunedin Consort Dunedin Consort	Nicholas Mulroy Matthew Brook Susan Hamilton Claire Wilkinson Cecilia Osmond Annie Gill Malcolm Bennett Brian Bannatyne-Scott	Linn	2008 (2008)	OVPP+R	Period	Recording of 1742 version
Sigiswald Kuijken La Petite Bande	Christoph Genz Jan van der Crabben Gerlinde Sämann Petra Noskaiová Bernhard Hunziker Marcus Niedermeyr Marie Kuijken Patrizia Hardt	Challenge Classics	2008 (2008)	OVPP	Period
Riccardo Chailly Tölzer Knabenchor Thomanerchor La Petite Bande	Johannes Chum Hanno Müller-Brachmann Christina Landshammer Marie-Claude Chappuis Maximilian Schmitt Thomas Quasthoff Klaus Häger	Decca	2009 (2009)	Boys	Symphony	collaboration of two boys' choirs
Jos van Veldhoven De Nederlandse Bachvereniging Kampen Boys Choir De Nederlandse Bachvereniging	Gerd Türk Geert Schmits Amaryllis Dieltiens Tim Mead Julian Podger Peter Harvey Siri Thornhill Matthew White Charles Daniels Sebastian Noack	Channel Classics	2010 (2010)	OVPP+R	Period
René Jacobs RIAS Kammerchor Staats- und Domchor Berlin Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin	Sunhae Im Bernarda Fink Werner Güra Topi Lehtipuu Johannes Weisser Konstantin Wolff	Harmonia Mundi	2013 (2013)	Chamber	Period
Peter Dijkstra Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks Regensburger Domspatzen Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra	Karina Gauvin Gerhild Romberger Maximilian Schmitt Julian Prégardien Michael Nagy Karl-Magnus Fredriksson	BR Klassik	2014 (2014)	Radio	Radio

External links

• Libretto with English translation
• St. Matthew Passion Commentary, musical examples, list of recordings on the website bach-cantatas
• Side-by-side arrangement of the original text and an English translation
• Matthäuspassion: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Matthäuspassion, early edition (BWV 244b): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project