Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1724, St John Passion was first performed at the St Nicholas Church in Leipzig on 7th April, which was Good Friday.

The St John Passion was Bach's first Passiontide oratorio,  the St Matthew Passion following 12 years later.

The St John Passion tells the story of the suffering and death on the cross of Jesus Christ, through Recitatives and Choruses, while the interspersed Arias and Chorales reflect on the action. The Chorales would have been familiar to the congregation, for although the text was new, Bach used well-known hymn tunes and arranged them to fit in with the overall musical picture he created.

Compared to the St Matthew Passion, the St John Passion is shorter, but some say that it is more elaborate, which makes one wonder - was the 39-year-old Bach trying to impress his new employers, being in his first year as Director of Music at the St Thomas Church in Leipzig?  If so, it should certainly have worked.