For the Passion season, Brilliant Classics will release in March all of Heinrich Schütz’s compositions devoted to the Passion and Resurrection story of Jesus Christ.

The principal works are the three surviving Passions based on the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John; they are joined by the "History of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ" and "The Seven Words of Jesus Christ on the Cross". The performers are Gerd Türk as the Evangelist and Bas Ramselaar in the role of Jesus, together with the Cappella Augustana and Matteo Messori (organ & direction).

Schütz’s Passions are distinguished by their austere, devotional character. Unlike later Baroque Passion settings, they contain no instrumental accompaniment apart from the continuo support used for the recitatives; instead, Schütz relies on unaccompanied choral writing to emphasize the solemnity of the narrative. The Evangelist’s recitations take the form of a song-like, highly modulating recitative, carefully shaped to bring out the nuances of Luther’s German Bible. The turba choruses, although likewise unaccompanied, provide dramatic contrast through sudden harmonic shifts, rhythmic intensity and dynamic changes.

The St John Passion, the most concise of the three, is often singled out for its emotional directness. The St Luke Passion is more restrained, reflecting the narrative tone of that Gospel, while the St Matthew Passion is distinguished by its greater scale and particularly moving choral writing.