All agree that Bach's masterpiece the St Matthew Passion is a monumental
work. The conductor, David Temple had selected the Neil Jenkins
shortened libretto and have an early start - 6.00pm. Judging by the rapt
attention of the audience he could easily have got away with the whole
score, even though it would have meant almost four solid hours of music.
But what music!
This work comprises nearly eighty separate movements and in their form,
textures and range demonstrate the genius of Bach. At times one was
reminded of church music from the century before this piece received its
first performance in 1727; other passages seem to have anticipated the
romantic of one hundred years later.
The one hundred and forty members of the Choir appeared not in their
usual concert black but in mufti and were divided into two choirs allowing
rich polyphonic and antiphonal passages. They sang against a massive
curtain at the rear of the stage upon which different colour lights were
cast to lead and reflect the mood of the passage being sung. During the
Crucifixion proper the vast blood red backdrop was actually quite
disturbing.
The narrative is provided by The Evangelist, here sung by Hilton Marlton in
a brilliant display of confidence and clarity. Once again CEFC managed a
perfect equilibrium with the soloists - understated, moody, suppressed and
melancholic where appropriate then massively powerful, angry and
passionate to drive home the moment.
The soprano Nikki Kennedy, in her opening piece Although our eyes with
tears o'erflow, both set the scene for the dreadfully sombre Mount of
Olives and Garden of Gethsemane passages but also revealed a
magnificent and sensitive voice perfectly suited to The Passion.
The contribution of the other soloists was outstanding. The magnificent
Jeremy White as Jesus was a fine choice for the part although at times he
did seem to have trouble with his diction.
David Temple's direction of the Hertfordshire Chamber Orchestra was
measured and sensitive. There must be a temptation in piece to throw
everything at it - David resisted and gave us a performance which brought
out all the nuances and sensitivity built in by Bach.
Crouch End Festival Chorus reaffirmed their position as one of the leading
ensembles in the country. Again they delivered a recital that indicated a
deep understanding of the piece; this combined with their technical
mastery offered a wonderful performance.
There were (scandalously) several empty seats in the auditorium: check
out their website for the next performance (http://www.cefc.org.uk ); put it in
your diary and GO!
