This new Hybrid SACD recording of J S Bach’s St John’s Passion has been produced by one of the great early music partnerships of recent times, the vocal and orchestral ensemble La Petite Bande and its artistic director Sigiswald Kuijken. As with their previous recordings of the composer’s Mass in B Minor (CC72316) and St Matthew Passion (CC72357), the approach to the score is based on recent scholarship, and the music is performed with a small number of soloists and instrumentalists.

La Petite Bande was founded in 1972 by Sigiswald Kuijken, and although it was not meant to become a permanent orchestra, the success of several recordings by the group under the direction of Gustav Leonhardt was such that it began to give concerts regularly. All its members are internationally renowned early music specialists.

During J S Bach’s lifetime there were four different performances of his St John’s Passion. Each of these took place with modifications. Some were in response to the circumstances at the time, others influenced by which musicians and instruments Bach had at his disposal at a particular time. This new recording is a version based on research by Sigiswald Kuijken, one of the leading experts in the composer’s work.