Season 2: St. Matthew Passion

The second season of Hearing the Music (launched in February 2023) takes on another of Bach’s sacred music masterpieces, the transcendent St. Matthew Passion. Using a recording of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra’s 2022 performance of the work, SDSO music director Delta David Gier along with novelist and pastor J. Mark Bertrand explore the brilliant artistry and profound theology of the St. Matthew Passion. David and Mark talk with SDSO chorus master Dr. Timothy Campbell, Bach expert Jan Katzschke, and a number of the performers who brought this work to life.

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Burial and Rest
Burial and Rest

In the final episode of Hearing the Music, Season 2: St. Matthew Passion, Jesus is buried. As always, Delta David Gier and J. Mark Bertrand discuss the music and the meaning behind it.

Crucifixion
Crucifixion

In the sixth episode of Hearing the Music, Season 2: St. Matthew Passion, Jesus submits to death on the cross. As always, Delta David Gier and J. Mark Bertrand discuss the music and the meaning behind it.

Before Pilate
Before Pilate

In the fifth episode of Hearing the Music, Season 2: St. Matthew Passion, Jesus finds himself before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. The soprano aria Aus Liebe is featured. As always, Delta David Gier and J. Mark Bertrand discuss the music and the meaning behind it.

The Denial
The Denial

In the fourth episode of Hearing the Music, Season 2: St. Matthew Passion, Peter’s denial of Jesus takes center stage. The tenor aria Geduld, Geduld! is featured, as well as the celebrated alto aria Erbarme dich. As always, Delta David Gier and J. Mark Bertrand discuss the music and the meaning behind it.

In the Garden
In the Garden

In the third episode of Hearing the Music, Season 2: St. Matthew Passion, the focus turns to the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus asks his disciples to watch and pray, but they sleep instead. This is followed by his arrest, as recounted in Matthew 26.36-56. As always, Delta David Gier and J. Mark Bertrand discuss the music and the meaning behind it.

The Last Supper
The Last Supper

This episode, “The Last Supper,” recounts the final meal of Jesus and his disciples, as well as the beginning of their journey to Gethsemane, events recounted in Matthew 26.14-32.

The Anointing
The Anointing

In this episode, David and Mark discuss the opening of the St. Matthew Passion and focus on the moment in the narrative when Jesus is anointed in preparation for his death. The episode covers events found in Matthew 26.1-13.