“A unique statement, one that can’t fail to make an impression. Recorded in the sumptuous acoustic of the Jesuitenkirche in Vienna, there’s a detectable flavour of southern European oratorio, ebulliently theatrical, immediate and free-breathing (…). This is the most culturally alert reading in years and a truly original and illuminating experience.” Gramophone This recording won a Grammy Award of Best Choral Performance and a Diapason d’or de l’année in 2001, and it’s one of the 100 Greatest Recordings from Gramophone: an absolute landmark of Bach’s masterpiece, the Saint Matthew Passion. Some 30 years were to pass before Nikolaus Harnoncourt, together with his Concentus Musicus Wien, recorded the St. Matthew Passion for the second time for the Teldec label: Released in 2001, the production was a bestseller and won a Grammy in the category "Best Choral Performance" in 2002. Now the outstandingly cast recording with the expressive painting "Agnus Dei" by the Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbaráns as cover motif is released as a 3-LP edition. The recording was made in the Jesuitenkirche in Vienna, whose magnificent acoustics provide an appropriate setting for the work and the masterful interpretation.