Herreweghe's Bach for Palm Sunday.

Yesterday, I went up to New York to hear Belgian conductor Philippe Herreweghe and his own Collegium Vocale Gent perform J. S. Bach's Matthäus-Passion at Alice Tully Hall. The Matthäus-Passion is one of my favorite musical works; indeed, Nikolaus Harnoncourt's 1970 recording of this masterpiece would almost certainly take first place on my personal list of Desert Island Discs. The first live performance of the Matthäus-Passion that I attended took place four years ago on Good Friday; last night's concert fell on the Vigil of Palm Sunday, making Herreweghe's Bach my introduction to Holy Week this year.



Though written for Good Friday, the Matthäus-Passion can also help us to begin Holy Week. The opening chorus, Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen, heard here in a 2010 performance by none other than Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent, offers us something akin to an Ignatian application of the senses, exhorting us to take a closer look at Christ's passion so as to better understand its meaning for us. Here is the original German text, followed by an English translation provided by the Bach Cantatas Website:

Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen,
Sehet - Wen? - den Bräutigam,
Seht ihn - Wie? - als wie ein Lamm!

O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig
Am Stamm des Kreuzes geschlachtet,

Sehet, - Was? - seht die Geduld,

Allzeit erfunden geduldig,
Wiewohl du warest verachtet.

Seht - Wohin? - auf unsre Schuld;

All Sünd hast du getragen,
Sonst müßten wir verzagen.

Sehet ihn aus Lieb und Huld
Holz zum Kreuze selber tragen!

Erbarm dich unser, o Jesu!

Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen,
Sehet - Wen? - den Bräutigam,
Seht ihn - Wie? - als wie ein Lamm!

---

Come, you daughters [of Zion], help me to lament,
See - Whom ? - the bridegroom,
See him - How ? - like a lamb!

O Lamb of God, innocent
Slaughtered on the beam of the cross,

See – What ? - see his patience,

Always found to be patient
No matter how much you were despised.

See – Where ? - our guilt;

All our sins you have borne
Otherwise we would have to despair.

See how from love and grace
He bears the wood of the cross himself!

Have mercy on us, O Jesus!

Come, you daughters, help me to lament,
See - Whom ? - the bridegroom,
See him - How ? - like a lamb!

May these words help us to follow the events of Holy Week more faithfully and attentively, that we may welcome the Resurrection of Christ with purer hearts and deeper faith. AMDG.