The timeless power of Bach’s St Matthew Passion – Why does this work continue to move us?

Three hundred years after its premiere, Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion continues to move people all over the world. But what is the source of this work’s extraordinary power? The speaker approaches this question from the perspective of a performer and improviser. Using selected musical examples, he demonstrates how Bach transforms fundamental human questions of guilt, compassion, consolation and hope into sound. A personal encounter with a masterpiece that transcends its time and has lost none of its impact to this day.