On November 16, 1672, the electoral conductor Heinrich Schütz died in Dresden at a very old age. The 350th anniversary of his death in 2022 gives us the opportunity to remember one of the most important and groundbreaking composers in our musical history.
Bach pulled out everything in his St. John Passion: the orchestra included almost every conceivable instrument in the original version of the piece. His lyricist used very pictorial language. Bach added a sea of musical affects to the powerful language, which in its diversity and complexity is overwhelming and, in the best sense of the word, “theatrical”.
