After a worrying hiatus, BBC Legends
releases have resumed. In the latest
batch is this disc, which in my opinion
is just the sort of issue that has made
BBC Legends one of the most important
archive labels, in fact possibly the
most important of all.
The disc presents all
the soprano and alto solo music from
what is evidently a complete live performance
of the St. Matthew Passion, featuring
two of the finest Bach singers of the
post-war generation. However, this is
also a very welcome opportunity to salute
one of the key pioneer figures in the
performance history of Bach’s music
in twentieth century Britain.
Paul Steinitz (1909-1988)
founded the London Bach Society in 1946
in order to present professional, stylistically
informed performances of Bach’s music.
In 1952 he gave what was probably the
first complete British performance of
the St. Matthew Passion in
German. But perhaps his greatest achievement
was to direct, between 1958 and 1987,
the first complete cycle of Bach’s cantatas
in professional concert performances
in the UK. Steinitz was also Director
of Music and Organist of the Church
of St. Bartholomew the Great, the venue
for this performance, from 1949 to 1961.
It’s abundantly clear from this CD that
he was a sensitive, seasoned and dedicated
interpreter of Bach’s music.
Indeed, he establishes
his credentials immediately, setting
a lovely tempo for the alto aria, ‘Buss
und Reu’. It’s not too fast but there’s
just the right amount of spring and
buoyancy in the rhythms. From the outset
it’s equally evident that Janet Baker
is on top form. I love the way in which,
for the central part of the aria, ‘dass
die Tropfen meiner Zähren’, she
lightens her voice wonderfully. Not
only does this of itself produce a lovely
effect but it means that in the da
capo, modestly decorated, the strong
conviction with which she declaims the
text is all the more effective.
In an exquisitely poised
account of ‘Blute nur, du liebes Herz’
Ameling matches Baker for vocal clarity.
It’s noticeable that she decorates the
da capo more than did Baker in
her opening aria. Ameling brings real
feeling to the recitative ’Wiewohl mein
Herz in Tränen schwimmt’ and the
demanding divisions of ‘Ich will dir
mein Herze schenken’ are expertly negotiated
in a beautifully flowing performance.
Here too the excellence of the orchestral
support is evident; in this instance
the two oboe d’amore players distinguish
themselves. In the da capo section
of this aria Ameling offers some beautifully
agile decoration for us to savour as
well as marvellous breath control.
The two singers combine
in the difficult ‘So ist mein Jesus
nun gefangen’. I liked the quite sprightly
tempo adopted here by Steinitz. This
gives his singers a chance to make sense
of Bach’s serpentine, intertwining vocal
lines and they do so, blending their
voices most intelligently. It also means
that there’s no awkward change of gear
for the following chorus. In this number
the choir sings enthusiastically but
there seemed to be quite a bit of snatching
at notes.
The chorus is involved
also in ‘Ach nun ist mein Jesus hin!’,
which opens Part Two of the work. Baker
sings with typically communicative commitment
but I felt that the choir sounded a
bit cloudy and were insufficiently incisive.
It also seemed to my ears as if there
were some imprecisions of tuning.
To Janet Baker falls
the aria that lies at the contemplative
heart of the St. Matthew Passion.
‘Erbarme dich, mein Gott’ is one of
Bach’s most deeply felt creations and
not only does he provide a vocal line
of tremendous eloquence, he matches
it with probably his most sublime instrumental
obbligato. It’s beautifully played here
by the unnamed leader of the orchestra
and Baker rises to the heights of eloquence
with an elevated, deeply sincere piece
of singing. She displays supreme artistry
throughout this aria; not least in the
way she delivers the very last bar of
the vocal line. This aria constitutes
some seven and a half minutes of sublime
music-making and the reading of it is
alone worth the price of the disc.
The ineffable sadness
of ‘Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben’
is movingly conveyed, first by the instrumentalists
(a solo flute and a pair of oboes da
caccia) and then by Ameling after the
players have so marvellously set the
scene. Also notable is the wondrously
withdrawn singing through which Baker
imparts a real sense of innigkeit
in ‘Ach Golgotha.’
It was a very good
idea to end this disc of excerpts with
the concluding numbers of the whole
work. In ‘Nun ist der Herr zur Ruh gebracht’
there are short recitatives for all
four solo singers and we hear cameo
contributions from Neil Jenkins and
John Barrow. With all due respect to
them the interventions of Ameling and
Baker are on a different, higher plane
of artistic intensity; listen to the
two perfect, silvery top Gs in Ameling’s
passage. In the last great chorus it’s
pleasing to report that the choir is
much more convincing than in their previous
appearances and they round off the proceedings
very well.
This is a marvellous
disc, featuring some wonderful Bach
singing from two outstandingly eloquent
and perceptive singers. Steinitz supports
them splendidly, as does his orchestra.
The recorded sound is fine and the only
blemish on the enterprise is that BBC
Legends continue their perverse policy
of failing to provide texts and translations.
At least there’s a good booklet note
by Alan Blyth.
So a warm welcome back
to BBC Legends. This disc will be self-recommending
to all admirers of Elly Ameling and
Janet Baker and should be equally attractive
to all those who simply love excellence
in the human voice. Even if you have
either or both of them in complete recordings
of the work I’d suggest that this live
recording is an essential supplement.
Recommended with great enthusiasm.
John Quinn
Weblinks
www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Steinitz-Paul.htm
www.bachlive.co.uk/history.htm
Elly Ameling (soprano); Dame Janet Baker (alto);
Neil Jenkins (tenor); John Barrow (bass) 
