The St. John Passion was first performed in Leipzig on Good Friday of 1724. Written three years before the St. Matthew Passion, it was a work Bach revised during the rest of his life, in fact he didnot leave us a definitive version either in print or fair copy. The sources give evidence of four different versions used at four performances - 1724, 1725, around 1730 and during the last years of Bach 's life. They oftencontain two or more readings for the same passage, or even different moveme...