John Nelson discusses Bach’s St John Passion

By John Von Rhein

 

CHICAGO — Of the two surviving settings of the Passion text by J.S. Bach, the “St. John Passion” is the most controversial. Many people to this day are unable to listen to the piece, much less perform it, because of its repeated references to “the Jews” clamoring for Jesus’ death, references that stem from Martin Luther’s German translation of the Gospel according to John.

Conductor John Nelson recently took time out from rehearsing the Chicago Bach Project’s performance of the “St. John Passion” – Wednesday night atSt. Vincent de PaulChurch in the city’s Lincoln Park neighborhood – to share his views on the subject.
 

Is Bach’s sacred masterpiece anti-Semitic? No, declares Nelson, citing extensive research by prominent Bach scholars to support his contention