Bach's St John Passion

Last night, under the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, I listened to the London Mozart Players perform what I consider to be one of the finest examples of Baroque music, Bach's St. John Passion. It has long been one of my favourite pieces, a work that I almost know by heart. It is this piece that convinced me that Baroque isn't the stodgy, emotionless bore so many are convinced it is. The long somber notes of the Evangalist illustrate how Simon Peter wept alone after denying Jesus, the relentless, rolling rhythm of the introduction foreshadows the events to come, the warmness and beauty of the final choral sections.

I am not a religions person. Never have, and probably never will be. But this piece of music is perhaps as close as I have come to a religious experience.

And what could be more perfect than hearing this work in St Paul's Cathedral.

Before the performance, we were asked not to applaud at the conclusion, but to sit in silence. At first I was a little confused, but I suppose there is a reason for this. The Passion is usually performed on Good Friday, and depicts the last day of Jesus. The piece ends with the crucifixion and death of Jesus. And while the spirit of the ending is that of hope, the story does not reach its conclusion until the resurrection on Easter Sunday. The passion is but half the experience, as a good friend of mine is wont to point out. You have to listen to Bach's Easter Oratorio for that.

But, after the final notes of the piece were struck, the chords from the organ and the orchestra and the sounds of the chorus, hung in the space of the cathedral. To applaud would have ruined the experience. Like I said, almost religious.

I try and avoid using any combination of the words religious, experience and spiritual in the same sentence. Sentences like "I'm not religious, but I am spiritual" really grate on me. It reeks of pseudo-intellectualism and non-conformity in a conformist kind of way. It seems as though people who are not-religious-but-spiritual, are all not-religious-but-spiritual in the same way.

I prefer to say that I am neither religious or spiritual, but I enjoy reflecting on the sublime experiences of life.

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