JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH:

ST.JOHN PASSION

with Amanda Forsythe, Terry Wey, Christian Immler, Jesse Blumberg and Jeffrey Strauss

Apollo's Fire

Jeannette Sorrell, conductor

Avie Records

ABOUT THE ALBUM

This recording of J. S. Bach’s groundbreaking masterpiece, the St. John Passion, is the result of Jeannette Sorrell’s visionary concept of a dramatic production which was presented in seven acclaimed performances in Cleveland and New York City in March 2016. Leading her Cleveland-based baroque orchestra Apollo’s Fire, the Apollo’s Singers and a stellar cast of soloists including tenor Nicholas Phan as the Evangelist, baritone Jesse Blumberg as Jesus and baritone Jeffrey Strauss as Pilate, Sorrell’s vision brings immediacy and clarity to Bach’s dramatic setting of the Passion story according to the gospel of St. John.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM

GRAMOPHONE

"Nicholas Phan’s ardent Evangelist paints with a breadth of vocal colours his descriptions of Peter’s bitter weeping and mortification that the crowd wish to free the murderer Barabbas...Sorrell’s keen attention to detail ensures that in many respects this recording hits the sweet spot time and again."

THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Among the other new recordings of J. S. Bach’s 'St. John,' one is first-rate, a good choice...a documentation of presentations by Jeannette Sorrell’s ensemble Apollo’s Fire last year in Cleveland and New York. Notable, especially, for Nicholas Phan’s Evangelist...it is a deeply considered account, rendered with consummate skill and artistry."

THE SUNDAY TIMES (LONDON)

“Perhaps most remarkable of all is the “chamber” version by the US group Apollo’s Fire, directed by Jeannette Sorrell as a gripping, intimate drama — it was recorded around semi-staged performances — and wonderfully sung by a small, youthful chorus, with Nicholas Phan outstandingly communicative as the Evangelist”

BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

"...the singing is the chief glory. Nicholas Phan is a personable Evangelist who also negotiates the jagged perils of 'Ach, mein Sinn' with no nonsense...★★★★"

BBC RADIO 3

"Phan's Evangelist is powerfully, emotionally projected...undeniably thrilling and moving"

CLASSIC FM

"The recording is vivid, and Nicholas Phan is an exceptional Evangelist."

Bay Area REPORTER

"... Nicholas Phan sings both the role of the Evangelist and the difficult tenor solo arias. It's at the farthest extreme from a star turn, and for me it's the clincher of the real integrity of this reading. The acuity of Phan's narration of the story and the depth of his reflections on it in the arias bind the performance in a sense of shared mission..."

THE AMERICAN INTEREST

"The production values are excellent...the voice of The Evangelist (i.e. St. John, the narrator), sung by Nicholas Phan, came through with superb and heartbreaking clarity."

MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

"Nicholas Phan makes a very expressive Evangelist (listen to the huge length of time he takes to describe Peter’s “weinete bitterlich”) and he also sings the arias very convincingly, scourging effectively through ‘Ach, mein Sinn’."