Bach: Judas – Arias & Recitatives / Kristjansson, Ensemble Continuum Outlet Fashion Style

When I sang my first Bach St Matthew Passion, it was difficult for me to create the recitative about the death of Judas, because I had the interpretations of many other evangelists in my ear and followed in their footsteps without thinking about it: To portray Judas as a traitor, a coward, a villain. But I didn’t want to do that. Benedikt Kristjánsson has his own view of the biblical figure who has imprinted himself on the collective memory in the Christian part of the world as the arch-villain. He wants to see him not only as the explicitly negative figure responsible for Jesus’ death, but as someone who played his part in the inevitable path of sacrificing the Messiah and thus in the core of Christian teaching. Kristjánsson also has his own view of one of the greatest stars in music history: Johann Sebastian Bach. He selects innavidual arias and recitatives to paint his picture of Judas, and indeed succeeds in what is so often fascinating about Bach: He once again appears completely new.