Artistic statement by Franck-Emmanuel Comte

In St John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach, drama unfolds not only through the narrative itself, but through a constant tension between action and introspection. More concise and more incisive than the St Matthew Passion, the work stands out for its immediate dramatic energy, which John Eliot Gardiner describes as “tense, fast-paced, almost brutal in the way it projects the action.”

Our interpretation draws on these inherent expressive forces to reveal a true theatre of emotions. The choir — by turns crowd, witness and collective conscience — becomes a central protagonist in the drama. The arias do not suspend the action: they expose its fractures, tensions and moments of uncertainty, extending the narrative into a deeply introspective dimension.

Driven by Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu’s commitment and recognised ability to bring dramatic works to life with both intensity and precision, this interpretation embraces a deeply embodied musical approach, where every inflection contributes to the meaning of the work. The exceptional clarity of articulation of the Namur Chamber Choir plays a decisive role: it reveals the full violence of the crowd scenes, the subtlety of Bach’s counterpoint and the intelligibility of the text, which lies at the heart of the dramaturgy.

Through a concentrated and intensely embodied reading, our approach— rooted in the work’s intrinsic theatricality and rhetorical power — highlights Bach’s striking modernity: his ability to organise the chaos of human emotions and shape them into a true musical drama. In doing so, it echoes the vision notably championed by Peter Sellars, of the Passion as a theatre of consciousness,where listening itself becomes the very space of the experience.

Conceived in this way, the St John Passion is not merely presented as a vast historical and musical fresco, but as an immediate and deeply human experience, inviting the audience to journey from within through the tensions and contradictions at the heart of the narrative.