St. Matthew Passion (Matthäus-Passion), BWV 244
Mark Padmore (tenor) - Evangelist; Peter Harvey (bass) - Christus; Maria Espada (soprano); Ingeborg Danz (mezzo); Renate Arends (soprano); Barbara Kozelj (mezzo); Peter Gijsbertsen (tenor); Henk Neven (bass)
Netherlands Radio Choir; National Children’s Choir
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam/Iván Fischer
rec. live, 31 March-1 April 2012, Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
TV Director: Dick Kuijs
English, French, German, Spanish subtitles
Region Code: 0; Picture Format: 16:9/NTSC. Sound format: PCM Stereo. Dolby 5.0
ARTHAUS MUSIK 101 676 [2 DVDs: 174:00]
I believe I’m right in saying that the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s
tradition of performing Bach’s St. Matthew Passion on Palm
Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, was established as long ago as 1899
by Willem Mengelberg. Indeed. Mengelberg’s performance on Palm Sunday,
1939, which fell on 2 April that year, is preserved on Naxos. Though very
much of its time and despite some cuts, it makes for very interesting
listening (review).
In 2012 Palm Sunday fell on 1 April and these DVDs are taken from performances
given that day and the preceding Friday.
Modern instruments are used here with the exception of a pair of recorders
and a gamba which are employed at various points in the score. All four
flautists use wooden instruments but these may be the instruments that
these players normally use. The number of string players is reduced to
chamber dimensions. The playing is uniformly stylish and pleasing. In
particular there are some excellent obbligato contributions, notably from
the oboist in ‘Ich will bei meinem Jesu wachen’ and from the
violinist in ‘Erbarme dich’. Unless you’re resolute
in insisting on hearing Bach played only on period instruments the fact
that this is given on modern instruments should be no deterrence at all.
Indeed, though I usually relish Bach on period instruments, I greatly
enjoyed the instrumental side of this performance. It’s reassuring
to find the music being ‘reclaimed’ so successfully by modern
instruments.
The singing also gives much pleasure. Fischer has a fine team of aria
soloists, among whom Ingebord Danz is outstanding. Every one of her solos
is sung with lovely tone, a fine sense of line and great poise. Her ‘Erbarme
dich’, moving and intense, is deeply satisfying and I was equally
impressed by her account of ‘Buβ und Reu’. Soprano Maria
Espada offers committed singing, not least in ‘Aus Liebe will mein
Heiland sterben’ which she sings most affectingly, deploying lovely
silvery tone - the solo flute is superb, by the way. The other aria soloists
all do well. Peter Gijsbertsen is forthright in ‘Geduld, wenn mich
falsche Zungen stechen’ and though he sounds somewhat taxed at times
this is one of Bach’s less grateful arias to sing so allowances
should be made.
Inevitably in the Matthäus-Passion attention centres
on the singers who take the role of the Evangelist and Christus. Happily,
this benefits from the participation of two of the best male Bach singers
currently before the public. Peter Harvey is a dignified and expressive
Christus. His voice seems to me to have just the right degree of weight
- not too much as to preclude lightness of touch but sufficient to give
presence and gravitas. He sings all his recitatives most intelligently
and his performance of ‘Komm, süβes Kreuz’ is very
fine indeed. Here, Harvey deploys an enviable legato. His expressive style
and evenly produced voice give great pleasure; the gamba player supports
him splendidly.
As the Evangelist, Mark Padmore is simply outstanding. He’s described
in the booklet as a “compassionate” Evangelist. I wouldn’t
dissent from that but I’d add that he’s compelling. His narration
draws the listener in and he weights every syllable - and every pause
- beautifully. His voice mixes plangency with an inner steel that is an
ideal combination for an Evangelist. He’s often very moving, as
for example in the recitative before ‘Erbarme dich’ when he
relates the anguish of Peter after his denials of Christ. As the drama
moves to its conclusion Padmore’s narration of the crucifixion itself
and of the death of Christ is particularly intense and involving. For
good measure he sings ‘Ich will bei meinem Jesu wachen’, dispatching
the demanding passagework with fluency. Padmore is surely one of the finest
Evangelists of our day.
The chorus work is very good. The Netherlands Radio Choir numbers about
forty singers and they are precise and accomplished in everything they
do though occasionally I would have liked a bit more bite in the dramatic
choruses - this may reflect the recording rather than the actual sound
that they produce. Overall, however, Bach’s choral music is well
served. The National Children’s Choir make a fine contribution.
During the first chorus they are clustered round the conductor’s
podium to sing and then they make their way discreetly to stand behind
the adult choir from where they join in the chorales. Be it noted that
they sing everything from memory!
Iván Fischer’s name is not the first one that would have
come to mind as a Bach conductor. His performances and recordings of late
Romantic and twentieth century music have garnered much praise - only
recently Dan Morgan was greatly taken by his account of Mahler’s
Fourth Symphony with this same orchestra (review).
Fischer paces Bach’s music very well and conducting the work is
clearly an experience that means quite a lot to him. I’d describe
his way with the music as essentially lyrical and reflective. I suppose
that’s not inappropriate to the work, which is more contemplative
and in many ways less dramatic than the St John Passion.
Perhaps it’s Fischer’s style that to a degree lessens at times
the impact of the choir as mentioned above. He eschews a baton, which
is probably correct for this music, but I didn’t always feel his
direction was completely incisive - some of the hand gestures are a bit
wavery. This may be the reason why, in the recitative ‘Mein Jesus
schweigt’, the staccato chords on oboes and gamba don’t seem
absolutely together, though that’s an extremely rare instance of
imprecision in this case. Overall, I found Fischer’s direction of
the score was convincing and stylish.
The sound on these DVDs is very good and the camera work is good and unfussy.
The camera direction is, in the best sense of the word, straightforward
and the viewer’s attention is never distracted by gimmickry or by
inapposite shots.
I enjoyed this version of Bach’s masterpiece very much. These DVDs
are well worth seeking out.
John Quinn
A fine and well-filmed account of St. Matthew Passion from the
Concertgebouw.
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