The St John Passion was first performed in St. Nicholas's Church, Leipzig, on Good Friday, 7 April 1724 (although some of the music may date from an earlier period), and it proved to be the occasion of Bach's first dispute with the Leipzig town council. He had planned to give the work in St Thomas's Church, where there was more space to accommodate his singers and players, but in the end had to give way on this. He therefore repeated the work, in a revised version, at St Thomas's the following year, and there were at least two further performances in Leipzig during his lifetime. - Malcolm Boyd At once striking in the St John Passion is the softly spoken, lightly articulated continuo whose manner permeates all the remaining parts, both instrumental and choral. The result is enlivening, especially in the large choral movements where Bruggen shapes the music with sensibility, introducing quite a wide dynamic range. - Gramophone (5/1993)
