The St . Matthew Passion is not merely a tradition; it is a story that must be retold every year. In this performance, Jan Willem de Vriend lays bare the human emotions within the music: doubt, anger, sorrow, but also compassion. With a select ensemble of soloists and two choirs that create both moments of stillness and explosive redemption, you will experience the Last of Jesus Christ as an intense, living drama.

Bach composed the St. Matthew Passion as a diptych in which everything engages in dialogue: choir versus aria, evangelist versus Christ, reason versus emotion. This is a story of betrayal and loss, but also of a community trying to understand what is happening. De Vriend emphasizes this layered dialogue; at times whisper-soft, at times sharp and penetrating. With Nick Pritchard as an alert evangelist, Andreas Wolf as a warm, dignified interpreter of Christ, and the Netherlands Chamber Choir The Hague Sailors’ Choir, a performance emerges that brings the grand narrative close: not merely as a monument, but as a human document.