Bach's Matthæus Passion

I went to see Bach's St. Matthew Passion at the Hill Auditorium tonight. It closely follows chapters 26 and 27 from the Gospel of Matthew using the Luther Bibel 1545 translation. The complete text from Matthew is included while several arias and hymns were added to the original text.

There was a big snow storm just before the concert began. Every street in Ann Arbor was a parking lot. I left earlier than I normally would, but I had no idea it would take me 45 minutes to go a few miles. I was stressing myself out because UMS sent an email asking that people arrive on time or they wouldn't seat you until intermission, which is a terrible punishment. However, several key musicians were missing, so they delayed start time by over 30 minutes, which was a relief. It would have been nice to do know that sooner. I literally sprinted from Liberty to Hill Auditorium to meet Matt and Sarah. The stage was filled with a myriad of musicians: the UMS choral, a childrens choir, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and 5 soloists. I wish I wasn't writing about it so long after the fact because I am positive some of my thoughts on it have floated off somewhere. I was a dork and printed the complete German - English text for everyone. I didn't realize they would project the English above. We still liked having it printed out, because we could follow along with the German and read a more literal English translation. The translation they projected had a simplified, paraphrased style.

These are my two favorite arias: "Erbarme Dich" and "Aus Liebe." Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find good examples on youtube.

Erbarme dich,
Have mercy Lord
Mein Gott, um meiner Zähren willen!
My God, because of this my weeping
Schaue hier,
Look thou here
Herz und Auge weint vor dir
Heart and eyes now weep for thee
Bitterlich.
Bitterly.

"Aus Liebe" is so beautiful. Bach is brilliant with word painting. This is simply soprano and woodwinds. I think Kiri Te Kanawa's version with the Chicago Symphony is the best I know of.

Aus Liebe,
For love,
Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben,
For love my Savior is now dying,
Von einer Sünde weiß er nichts.
Of sin and guilt He knows not.
Daß das ewige Verderben
So eternal desolation
Und die Strafe des Gerichts
And the sinner's righteous doom
Nicht auf meiner Seele bliebe.
Shall not rest upon my spirit.

During most of the concert voice is always accompanied with instrumentation. Most appropriately, a noticable vacuum of music surrounded these words sung by Jesus: "Eli, Eli, lama asabthani?" There was complete silence. Then the Evangelist repeated: Mein Gott, mein Gott, warum hast du mich verlassen?

The random mussings I wrote in Italian the next morning. Not sure why it's in Italian, that's just how it came out.
E' 22 Marzo, 2008 (il sabato tra venerdi santo e Pasqua) Ho visto, ho sentito La Passione San Matteo di Bach ieri sera. Aus Liebe. "Cristo fa tutto out of love. Erbarme dich e Aus Liebe sono le arie piu belle. Voglio imparare cantare almeno Erbarme dich. Aus Liebe, la voce soprano con flauto e altri strumenti di vento. Era molto delicata ma allo stesso tempo forte. Wunderbarlich. Erbarme dich, la voce mezzo-soprano con violino. Non ho le parole descriverla. Ma, e' eterna. Penso di la gente che vivevano in quel tempo, circa 1727. Questa musica divina era una meditazione comunale da una cultura meno meno individualista.