J S Bach’s St Matthew ion in the edition Mendelssohn prepared for the 1829 performance he mounted in Berlin, and which heralded Bach’s renaissance.
Mendelssohn’s grandmother hosted a salon that championed Bach’s music, his father collected Bach manuscripts, so it is no surprise that Felix should share their adoration and become involved in the modern revival of the great JSB’s music. Tonight’s concert takes us back to the Berlin of March 1829, when Mendelssohn conducted the forces of the Singakademie in a performance of Bach’s St Matthew ion, a performance that played a major role in re-establishing Bach’s music in the concert repertoire. the BBC Singers and St James’ Baroque for a very rare outing for Mendelssohn’s performing edition.
