Erbarme Dich
In the 1950s, my father built his own audio equipment: amplifiers and loudspeakers. Through these speakers, his beloved St Matthew Passion sounded hundreds of times over the course of his life. Only years after his death did I realise that he had probably been autistic, though he was never diagnosed. Looking back, his lifelong collections of coins, stamps, photographs, films recorded from television, and recording upon recording of the St Matthew Passion suddenly made sense. For this work, I built him a stereo system dedicated to a single aria: Erbarme dich (Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244, No. 39). Visitors can choose between six performances, listening and comparing them as my father did for so many years. The sound comes through the original speakers he built himself more than 65 years ago.
IMAGE
AUDIO
Philippe Herreweghe - Collegium Vocale Gent
- Catalogue number
- #70