Bach, J.S.: St. Matthew Passion

Lovely

     

I love this recording! The aural texture is bright and clear, the tempi just right. The instruments and voices are period, not weighed down by the heavy Romanticism that used to be in vogue for Bach. Yet the choruses are large enough to sound full and rich unlike some period interpretations which assign one voice per part. The delivery carries the electricity of a live performance.

It was a revelation to discover that I REALLY like hearing the Passion in English. (I tend to have snobbish bias for choral music in the original language.) To appreciate a work like the Passion -- with its occasionally repetitious narrative recitatives -- I need to follow the action, and that means removing the language barrier. I found that what had always seemed something of an endurance test passed quickly, like a good movie.

I also enjoyed the tenor narrator. His voice has a slight breathy edge that makes his words sound human and accessible. Like a real guy singing.

The cumulative effect of this performance is, as Bach intended, direct, human, and passionate. It leaves a desolate sorrow softened by the musical consolations that only Bach can offer.