#41, 42.        The Priests and the Crowd, sensing that Pilate would prefer to release Jesus, now try to intimidate the governor by telling him that the Roman Emperor would not be pleased with this release (as it might cause an uprising), and, furthermore, anyone who calls himself a king is automatically a threat to the Empire.  Thus, Pilate could be considered a collaborator with this "king" if he doesn't put him away.  The music is once again,\ almost jolly, as the crowd now senses they have the upper hand.

#43.        Pilate has no choice.  The Evangelist relates that Pilate brings Jesus out to the people once more.  In an attempt to deflect the blame, Pilate calls him "Your King."

#44.        The crowd angrily demands that Jesus be taken away and crucified:  a combination of howling half- and quarter-notes and those triple notes in 1/8s and 1/16s that suggest a jostling, unruly mob. 

#45.        Exasperated, Pilate asks, "Do you want your king to be crucified?"

#46.        In a choral passage dripping with sarcasm, the Priests, like obedient children reciting a rule they've been forced to learn all their lives, tell Pilate they have only one king, Emperor Tiberius.  The flutes are twittering away in mocking obeisance to Caesar, Bach's masterful description of disingenuousness. 

#47.        The Evangelist relates that Pilate finally gives up, and orders the execution.  The soldiers take Jesus to the place of execution, called Golgotha.

#48.        In this remarkable bass aria, Bach urges all people who are burdened by care to run from their despair, to fly on wings of faith, or to carry the cross, to salvation.  The "Greek Chorus" breathlessly asks, "Run where?" … "Fly where?"  (In German:  "Wohin?" [Where to?])    The string section gives an unmistakable impression of rapid movement.  The bass soloist, too, in short melismatic passages, urges haste.  “But, whereto?”  asks the chorus.  And the answer is : "To Golgotha!" (where your salvation awaits you). The genius of this piece is in the impatient little choral questions, each question separated by shorter and shorter rests.  It's very tricky!  But very effective, too. 

Index

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10