Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) St. John Passion, BWV 245

Johann Sebastian Bach wrote his St. John Passion in 1724 in three months. The work was premiered on Good Friday of that year, and Bach would return to it several more times. As a result, multiple versions exist as Bach added, replaced or removed arias and choruses. No matter: each version is compelling and dramatic and can easily hold its own alongside the later written Matthew Passion.