Jordi Savall conducts St Mark Passion: Friday 30 March

[doversoul1]

Georgia Mann presents a concert from Barcelona with Jordi Savall conducting his new reconstruction of J S Bach's lost St Mark Passion.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09wvydg

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

- looking forward to this: something to compare with the recording of Ton Koopman's reconstruction.

[BBMmk2]

- looking forward to this: something to compare with the recording of Ton Koopman's reconstruction.

This be most interesting to hear.

[MickyD]

Bach: St Mark Passion

There have been numerous attempts to recreate this lost work, and I will be interested to hear how Jordi Savall tackles it today:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09wvydg

[jean]

Why do people keep reconstructing hopelessly fragmentary Passions when there are plenty of complete ones that never get performed at all?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Why do people keep reconstructing hopelessly fragmentary Passions when there are plenty of complete ones that never get performed at all?

Because it is/was by Bach. I don't know how it's possible to reconstruct something that's lost though.

[Richard Barrett]

I don't know how it's possible to reconstruct something that's lost though.

The full text exists, and so probably does a considerable part of the music, set to other texts among Bach's church cantatas which were reused in the Passion - it isn't known precisely which movements this involves, though guesses can be made on the basis of how well the text fits; recitatives have to be newly composed, along with some turba choruses. There are various versions which use different source material. Personally I don't really see the point - why not just perform the cantatas instead?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The full text exists, and so probably does a considerable part of the music, set to other texts among Bach's church cantatas which were reused in the Passion - it isn't known precisely which movements this involves, though guesses can be made on the basis of how well the text fits; recitatives have to be newly composed, along with some turba choruses. There are various versions which use different source material. Personally I don't really see the point - why not just perform the cantatas instead?

Thank you!

[MickyD]

Well, we can live in hope of it being found one day - a considerable 'lost' part of CPE Bach's output was rediscovered as late as the 1990s.

Maybe this would be a good idea for another thread: 'What lost works would you like to see discovered?' There are a couple of lost Rameau pieces that I would dearly love to be unearthed.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I set this to record, and listened to the opening. It had me hooked from the start, but I had to abandon it to furnish the home with sustenance. I did catch a bit that Bach would almost certainly NOT have cribbed from the St. Matthew Passion.

[Richard Barrett]

Maybe this would be a good idea for another thread: 'What lost works would you like to see discovered?'

I think Monteverdi's Arianna would be at the top of my list, and all the other lost dramatic works by Monteverdi wouldn't be far behind. Plenty of JSB too of course; he must have written a lot more instrumental music during his Cöthen years than has survived.

[doversoul1]

I can’t comment on musicological value but I thought this was a good, fresh-sounding performance and I thought the chorus was excellent.

Followed by Stabat Mater by John Browne

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/7935395--john-browne-music-from-the-eton-choirbook

There have been a few good fillers.

[jean]

That particular filler was by the same people who gave us the Davy St Matthew Passion live last Sunday.

[EdgeleyRob]

I can’t comment on musicological value but I thought this was a good, fresh-sounding performance and I thought the chorus was excellent.

Followed by Stabat Mater by John Browne

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/7935395--john-browne-music-from-the-eton-choirbook

There have been a few good fillers.

[MickyD]

I think Monteverdi's Arianna would be at the top of my list, and all the other lost dramatic works by Monteverdi wouldn't be far behind. Plenty of JSB too of course; he must have written a lot more instrumental music during his Cöthen years than has survived.

Absolutely, Richard - if I get a bit more time this weekend, I may have a go at starting another thread on the subject. Unless someone else fancies doing it immediately.