There are concert traditions, and then there is the Concertgebouw Orchestra's St. Matthew Passion. Every spring, around Easter, the orchestra performs Bach's BWV 244 in the hall on Concertgebouwplein. They have been doing so since 1899, when then-chief conductor Willem Mengelberg started the tradition. Almost 300 years after the composition of the work, and more than a century after that first performance, the series continues. Two dates in Old South: Friday, March 27, and Sunday, March 29, 2026.
This year there is something extra special. Klaus Mäkelä, the Finnish conductor who will soon become the official chief conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, is in front of the orchestra for the first time with this work. This is no small feat. The St. Matthew Passion is one of the most layered and technically demanding works in the Baroque repertoire, and Mengelberg's legacy hangs heavy over it. Mäkelä, not yet thirty and already one of the most talked-about conductors of his generation, picks up the gauntlet. The collaboration of orchestra, soloists and two choirs makes the performance what it is: not a concert you do in between.
Taking the stage as soloists are Julia Lezhneva, Maximilian Schmitt and Matthew Brook. Lezhneva is the soprano known for her clear, detailed tone. Schmitt performs the Evangelist, one of the dramatically heaviest roles in the work. Brook provides the part of Jesus. In addition to these three soloists, the Nederlands Kamerkoor and the Nederlands Kinderkoor also collaborate in the performances. The Chamber Choir takes care of the large chorale parts, while the Children's Choir provides the ingenious opening sounds with which Bach begins his Passion.
The collaboration of orchestra, soloists and two choirs makes the performance what it is: not a concert you do in between.
Tickets run from 29 euros to 179 euros, and drinks before the concert and during intermission are included in all price categories. Whether that is a nice touch or a conscious decision to lower the threshold does not matter: it is a pleasant gesture. The St. Matthew Passion lasts over three hours, and a glass of wine before it begins usually does not harm concentration. Go on time, the hall is full.