The one hundred and twelfth classical recording: #84 Johann Sebastian Bach - St John Passion
Needs must, and I don't think I could have skipped doing one of the famous Easter oratorios at any time other than Easter, but having workmen hammering away just outside the room I work in hasn't been the ideal way to experience a piece like it. It meant that my focus was diverted and I missed out on the lyrics of the performance and the division in songs, instead letting the music do its thing. In particular, I think I've been missing out on some of the nuances of the different arias, which have been blending together more than they probably should. They are heavy, stately, the choral sound that I expect to hear from Bach. The tenderness increases later in the piece, especially as the sadness of loss comes in, but that is as much down to the choice of vocalists, switching to sopranos as time goes on to get that effect.
This work has its feel and sound that feels like it fits in with the religious setting it would be performed in. It means that it's not a piece best suited for casual listening, but it works here.