Let's be clear: in no sense can Handel's St John Passion measure up to Bach's. And not only because Handel's claim to paternity over the work is in doubt: no signed manuscript, no name on the manuscript, and we have to go on notes written in 1723 (and rather snitty ones at that) by Mattheson which, while they don't name Handel, certainly point the finger at the "Caro Sassone". Moreover, Handel was also a furious self-plagiarist, who would never hesitate to pillage his own works or recycle many movements. But this Passion has never served as a source or a mine for any later work at all. That said, the work seems to be dated to 1704, when Handel was 18: perhaps he felt very conscious about imperfections in his score, and indeed it's far from clear that it remained in his hands... Some observers might have attributed it to Reinhard Keiser, although their arguments stand on shaky historical ground. In short, until an original, signed manuscript is discovered, we'll have to reserve judgement. That said, this Passion is not without its own beauty, in particular in the musical painting which underlines the details of the text, the strength of certain instrumental turns which suggest the work of Handel... The album opens with a chorale which is really by Johann Crüger, and closes on the choral cantata Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder which is also attributed to Handel, in this instance the young Handel, because the work "suffers" from the composer's youthful faults: a propensity to show off somewhat, but in a highly original language, with flashes of genius that presage a great future. So: Probably Handel. © SM/Qobuz