Dunedin Consort: Matthew Passion

Queen’s Hall - 22/03/24

Dunedin Consort | Sofi Jeannin, director | RSNO Youth Chorus

Chorus 1: Anna Dennis, soprano | Beth Taylor, alto | Joshua Ellicott, tenor | Matthew Brook, bass

Chorus 2: Jessica Cale, soprano | Sarah Champion, alto | Hiroshi Amako, tenor | Christopher Webb, bass

The Dunedin Consort under Swedish director, the choral specialist, Sofi Jeannin, performs an exceptional ‘Matthew Passion’ at the Queen’s Hall.  Strong precise choruses, outstanding soloists and taut orchestral playing on period instruments bring out the drama of Bach’s music and Picander’s text in a compelling fashion.  It’s the third Dunedin ‘Matthew Passion’ I’ve reviewed for the Edinburgh Music Review, each quite different.  The first a streamed version under lockdown conditions enabled me to see and hear the interplay between singers and instruments in close-up – and then, importantly, replay it ad lib.  Two years ago, while still enjoying the soloists and choruses in St Mary’s Cathedral, I realised that I couldn’t hear the instruments clearly in that acoustic, and noted that I would prefer to listen to it in a concert hall.  So tonight I’m delighted to experience it here n the Queen’s Hall.

The eight singers are divided into Chorus I (Anna Dennis soprano, Beth Taylor alto, Joshua Ellicott tenor and Matthew Brook bass) and Chorus II  (Jessica Cale soprano, Sarah Champion alto, Hiroshi Amako tenor and Christopher Webb bass)   The instrumentalists are also divided into two sections, each orchestra containing seven string players, plus two oboes and two flutes, with Stephen Farr on chamber organ in the middle.  Twenty-three instrumentalists and eight singers are a fairly tight fit on stage, especially in the first half when eleven singers from the RSNO Youth Chorus sit along the back row.   Joshua Ellicott as Evangelist and Matthew Brook as Christus have permanent positions at the front of the stage, while the other soloists are seated at the side of the orchestra until required   Sometimes the singers find getting in and out awkward but mostly it’s a stage arrangement which facilitates the flow of the music.

Sofi Jeannin, previously Music Director of the Choeur de Radio France, now directs the BBC Singers.  An unshowy conductor,  her direction of the choruses and the orchestra is clear and exact, so that musical lines begin and are rounded off with precision.  This is immediately apparent in the elaborate choral opening for Choruses I and II, both orchestras and the RSNO Youth Chorus.  There’s dialogue between the adult choirs, and a separate higher melody for the young singers but everything works perfectly together.  The chorales which end each section of the oratorio are equally controlled but are also warmly reassuring markers in the narrative. The to-and-fro of the chorus responses,  especially the short outbursts when the crowd turn against Jesus, crying “Barrabas” and “lass ihn kreuzigen” (crucify him) are convincingly vicious.

Meanwhile Sofi takes a different approach to the solo singing, both in the narrative elements and the arias. Here she gives the singers some room to develop their own approaches to the music and text, and there’s an unhurried freedom and sincerity in their voices.

Most of the narrative is in the hands of tenor, Joshua Ellicott, the Evangelist and bass, Matthew Brook, Christus.  Their stamina is to be commended, as they also sing in the choruses and chorales, and have a couple of solo arias each.  Working together, Joshua  relates the scene, while Matthew sings only the actual words spoken by Jesus. The text here is prose, and Bach sets it to an elaborated form of dramatic recitative, sometimes with organ and cello continuo, at others with larger orchestra.  Joshua’s characterisation of the Evangelist is not as a neutral bystander, but as a committed believer: he shows bitterness, anger and sorrow when describing the events.  It’s not an easy sing, as the music, often at the start of phrases, sits high in his voice, but his is a notably sympathetic and confidence-inspiring portrayal.

Matthew Brook’s Christus is  the bedrock of the performance.  He exudes care and compassion in the opening section, a smiling benign presence, but underlying this is his knowledge of impending death.  The duality of Christ’s role as man and son of God is certainly very much part of the text, but his humanity is the key to Matthew’s performance, in his plea to his disciples to watch with him, his sorrow when they fall asleep, and his anger at his betrayal by Judas and Peter.  A curiosity of the ‘Matthew Passion’ is that Christus says little in Part II.  ‘Jesus kept silent’ is repeated several times, while the conflicting voices of those around him grow ever more intense.

 Christopher Webb, the bass in the Chorus II, shares the narrative by  playing the named roles of Judas, Peter, the High Priest and Pilate.  His secure bass is eminently suited to these parts, but with the best will in the world there isn’t much difference in the characterisations.  It’s the one part of this small scale oratorio when a second bass taking on these roles would be useful.

The women singers and the Chorus II tenor participate only in the solo recitatives and arias.  Again there’s a sense of freedom in their performances which emphasises the individual’s emotional responses.  One stand-out aria is Beth Taylor’s first aria, ‘Buß und Reu’ (repentance and regret’) which is part of the commentary on the woman who gives Jesus some precious ointment.  Beth initially lightens her tone to match the delicate notes of the period flute obbligato.  She introduces some ornamentation to the middle verses, and she employs her chest voice only near the end.  I haven’t heard Beth in oratorio before but she is clearly at home in this genre. Although she has no named roles,  she provides  a sense of character in her subtle variation in voice and emotion in her arias.

Anna Dennis’s arias also demonstrate variety in tone, especially in ‘Aus Liebe’ (For love).   Anna stands towards the back of the orchestra to sing this, near the oboe and flute which accompany her.  Her heartfelt singing of one of the oratorio’s loveliest melodies provides a period of calm contemplation as she defends Jesus after the mob has called for his death.

British tenor, Hiroshi Amako, already with a good career at the Vienna State Opera, has only one chance to shine here, and in his cello-accompanied “Geduld! Wenn mich falsche Zungen stechen‘ (Forbear, though deceiving tongues may sting me),  he displays a firm resonant voice, and a vivid interpretation (which compares pretty well with Fritz Wunderlich’s on YouTube!)

Chorus II soprano, Jessica Hale, First Prize winner of the 2020 Kathleen Ferrier Awards, shows her talents early in the performance with the oboe-accompanied short aria ‘Blute nur, du liebes Herz,’ (bleed, dear heart) and later has the only female named part when she sings the tiny role of  Pilate’s Wife.

Sarah Champion, an experienced singer of early music, the alto in Chorus II, impresses with her dramatic recitative and aria ‘Erbarm est Gott/Können Trännen (have mercy, God/ let my tears) with its distinctive string obbligato. 

The period orchestra, as ever, delivers the distinctive sound of the oratorio, from continuo on two instruments, through accompaniments on three or four, up to the whole orchestra recreating thunder and lighting. In an orchestral highlight, violinist Huw Daniel stands to play solo and lead the Orchestra II strings in the brisk rhythmical accompaniment to Christopher Webb’s bass aria, ‘Gebt mir meinem Jesum wieder’ (Give back my Jesus to me). 

The ‘Matthew Passion’ ends not with the Resurrection  but with the Crucifixion.  Nevertheless it finishes on a promise of hope when the main bass singer, Matthew Brook, released from his role as Christus, sings the recitative ‘Am abend da es kühle war’ (in the evening when it was cool) which emphasises the healing power of the sacrifice and then the warm, consolatory aria ‘Mach dich, mein Herze, rein’ (purify my heart).  Although the final choruses are about sorrow,  it’s this lilting melody which remains with us. 

At the end of the performance, Sofi Jeannin, in a touching gesture, steps down from the stage, and moves along the singers, leading the applause for each in turn.   She herself receives a much deserved ovation for this uplifting realisation of Bach’s masterpiece.

Read Beth Taylor’s thoughts on ‘Mach dich’ and working with the Dunedin Consort here.

Also recommended  on BBC Sounds is Sofi Jeannin’s Radio 3 series about choral music ‘Singing Together’ illustrated by exciting excerpts from many traditions of secular and sacred music.