Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
St John Passion, BWV 245
Evangelist - Ian Bostridge (tenor)
Christus - Neal Davies (bass)
Carolyn Sampson (soprano); Iestyn Davies (counter-tenor); Nicholas Mulroy
(tenor); Roderick Williams (bass) - Pilate
Polyphony; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/Stephen Layton
rec. 10-13 April 2012, All Hallows, Gospel Oak, London. DDD
German text and English translation included
HYPERION CDA67901/2 [53:45 + 64:25]
Stephen Layton and Polyphony perform the St. John Passion every year
around Easter time, usually at St. John’s Smith Square in London. This
recording was made in the days that followed their performance there on 6
April 2012.
Bach revised the work several times, as is explained in the excellent note
by the eminent Bach scholar, Christoph Wolff; this performance uses the Neue
Bach-Ausgabe edition.
A few years ago Hyperion issued a recording of the other seasonal staple of
the Polyphony repertoire, Messiah (review).
That recording was widely-acclaimed; will this new Bach recording be equally
good?
Among the many advantages with which it starts is the extremely strong line-up
of soloists, including Ian Bostridge as the Evangelist. I’ve heard Bostridge
in the Evangelist’s role in Philippe Herreweghe’s 1998 recording
of the St. Matthew Passion (Harmonia Mundi HMC 951676.78) and having
been impressed by that I was keen to hear him in this role. In my view he’s
a magnificent Evangelist though one aspect of his approach may not be to all
tastes. He is highly expressive at all times and there are several occasions
where some may feel he overdoes the expressiveness, drawing out the line of
recitative slowly and expansively. One such example - there are several -
is the passage of recitative describing the Crucifixion itself: ‘Allda
kreuzigten sie ihn’ (CD 2, track 5). For myself, I find this approach
very convincing and of a piece with Bostridge’s complete involvement
with the drama but, as I say, some may prefer a less overtly expressive style.
The gains from this approach are immense, witness the very moving description
of the crucified Christ putting his mother into the care of his disciple,
John (CD 2, track 7). Bostridge can be urgent too if the text demands it,
as he often is in the scene of Christ’s judgement by Pilate. He deploys
a formidable range of vocal colouring and takes immense care over the words.
The text is delivered with great clarity throughout. He also sings the first
tenor aria, ‘Ach, mein Sinn’. He’s vivid in this highly
demanding aria and I’m mildly surprised that he doesn’t then go
on to sing the other tenor arias.
Neal Davies is good in the role of Christ. He’s a fine singer, as we
know, and his expertise in art song stands him in good stead here. I just
have one reservation, and it’s a purely subjective one. In the scene
before Pilate there are a couple of passages of recitative when he sounds
a bit fierce, which rather goes against the conception I’ve always had
about the demeanour of the suffering Christ. So, his response to Pilate, ‘Mein
Reich ist nicht von dieser Welt’, sounds to me to be more forthright
than I would have expected (CD 1, track 16). A little later when he tells
Pilate ‘Du hättest keine Macht über mich’ that sounds
more angry in tone than I associate with those words (CD 2, track 1). However,
that’s very subjective and others may well not hear the delivery in
the same way; and, in any case, Davies’ singing overall is excellent.
So too is that of Roderick Williams. Like the other two principal characters
he paces his recitatives as Pilate convincingly and with intelligence. Where
he really excels, however, is in the bass arias. All are done extremely well
but ‘Betrachte, meine Seel’ is exceptional. Here Williams uses
velvet tone in a gentle, inward reading of this lovely arioso. By any standards
this is high-class singing.
The other soloists are heard in arias only. Nicholas Mulroy does the taxing
aria, ‘Erwäge’ very well though I think the music would have
suited Bostridge’s vocal timbre even better. The soprano has two of
the finest arias in the work and Carolyn Sampson excels in both. In ‘Ich
folge dir gleichfalls’ she treats us to eager singing. Her tone is beguiling
and light and this is an absolutely delightful performance. At the other end
of the emotional spectrum lies ‘Zerflieβe, mein Herze’. Here
the tone is ravishing, the line tenderly spun and Miss Sampson’s exquisite
performance brings out all the sorrow in the music in just the right way.
Iestyn Davies’s contributions further enhance his reputation. ‘Von
den Stricken’ is excellent. His singing is clear and expressive and
if I say that there’s a trace of fragility I most certainly don’t
mean that as a criticism; it’s what I’d expect in this piece.
In that aria the intertwining oboes are perfectly balanced against the singer
and contribute significantly. Equally significant is the exquisite gamba obbligato
(Richard Tunicliffe) in ‘Es ist vollbracht’. Davies is absolutely
outstanding here, offering deeply expressive singing, his voice evenly produced.
This is the most deeply affecting aria in the St. John Passion and
Davies ensures that it is a peak in this fine account of the work.
So far the chorus hasn’t been mentioned and that’s unfair. Polyphony
show vividly just what can be achieved in Bach singing by a fairly small professional
choir, especially in terms of such things as flexibility, attack and agility.
The choir numbers 31: 8/7/8/8; there are three female altos and four men.
The singing is flawless throughout and the attention to detail is superb,
just as you’d expect. Collectively they bring bite and a sense of vivid
drama to the scene in Pilate’s court where they assume the character
of the mob. However, for all the punchiness in their singing in these pages
of the score - which strikes me as ideal - and their finesse elsewhere the
passage that particularly caught my attention was the brief chorus in Part
II, ‘Lasset uns den nicht zerteilen’ (CD 2, track 7). The singing
here is precise and marvellously light-footed. The closing chorus, ‘Ruht
wohl’, is beautifully shaped and the chorales are nicely varied. That
extraordinary first chorus, ‘Herr, unser Herrscher’ bristles with
tension, the cries of ‘Herr’ really arresting. I usually find
that you can tell if you’re going to hear a good Passion according to
how this first number is treated. Suffice to say that on this occasion the
delivery is an accurate harbinger of what is to follow.
It’s the orchestra that launches that chorus and so they carry the responsibility
of grabbing the listener’s attention. This the Orchestra of the Age
of Enlightenment do magnificently. They rack up the tension incrementally
until you need the choir to take the music to the next level of intensity.
Throughout the performance the instrumental playing is of the highest order,
mixing finesse, agility and dramatic weight according to the needs of the
moment. Without exception the obbligato contributions are distinguished.
Stephen Layton directs a performance that is clearly rooted in long, practical
experience of the score. His tempi are judiciously chosen and while he’s
far from averse to an athletic speed when justified, you never feel the music
is being rushed. He allows his soloists time to make their expressive points,
judging the speeds of the arias expertly. The dramatic pacing of the ensemble
sections such as the scene in the Garden and Christ’s appearance before
Pilate is extremely convincing. As a generalisation the whole approach is
light on its feet but never lightweight. I admired this version greatly
and felt caught up from start to finish in the drama and in Bach’s scheme
of narrative and reflection.
It only remains to be said that Hyperion’s presentational standards
are typically excellent. The documentation is first rate and producer Adrian
Peacock and engineer David Hinitt have produced the sort of admirable, clear
and well-balanced sound that invariably characterises their work. You can
sample extracts from all the tracks on Hyperion’s website.
There are many recordings of Bach’s great masterpiece in the catalogue,
quite a number of which offer fine performances, special insights or both.
This desirable new recording deserves a place in the front rank.
John Quinn
This desirable new recording deserves a place in the front rank.
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