Dunedin Consort: ‘Matthew Passion’
St Mary’s Episcopal Church - 11/04/22
Nicholas Mulroy, who has sung the Evangelist in the Dunedin Consort’s ‘Matthew Passion’ for more than a decade, is this year directing the ensemble as well as singing. There’s a full and attentive audience in St Mary’s Cathedral. We may ask how this this works, but with Mulroy’ s knowledge of the music, and the Consort’s experience of working together, we can be confident that any glitches have been sorted out in the rehearsal. On the night it seems effortless and seamless.
Mulroy himself as Evangelist is key to the unity and tone of the oratorio. His tenor rings out in the large venue, pointing the way through the days leading to the crucifixion. Some of his best sections narrate the dramas of betrayal, Judas selling Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and Peter’s three denials. He controls not only the story but also the changes in mood, and his voice can be tender as well as condemnatory. We often think of opera singers as making certain roles their own – Mulroy has surely done that for the role of the Evangelist, and it’s a privilege to hear him.
Stephan Loges has sung the role of Jesus on many occasions, and his firm bass interacts with Mulroy in Part I as he adds his words to the narrative, foretelling his death and warning his apostles of what’s to come. His role changes in Part II when Jesus speaks very little, answering the High Priest and then responding briefly to Pilate. Loges has two arias, the first as Simon the Cyrenian, Jesus’ surrogate, who carries the cross for him, and the last aria, the lilting ‘Mache Dich, mein Herze, rein’, (Make my heart pure) where he steps forward to sing with full orchestra. It’s a surprisingly radiant song of consolation, one which you may find yourself humming over the next few days.
Mostly the soloists, in two choirs of four on a slightly raised platform at the back of the stage, remain in their places for their solos and for their choral pieces. This means that each of them can finish a solo then immediately join in the next choral section. The second half sees more flexibility in this arrangement. The alto Claudia Huckle, who has one of the loveliest arias ‘Buss und Rau’ (guilt and pain) near the beginning of the oratorio, comes forward in front of the orchestra to sing ‘Ebarme dich’ (Have mercy, Lord). The solo violin accompanying her stands at her side. The intertwining of voice and instrument provides one of the highlights of the evening.
Anna Dennis is the soprano soloist, her voice clear in the choruses as well as in her earlier arias delivered from the back row. She and Huckle share a duet near the end of part one where their voices intermingle beautifully. Near the end of Part II she moves forward to sing ‘Aus Liebe’ (For Love), this time with the flautist standing to one side of the orchestra. Although much of the Dunedin Consort’s mastery of this music lies in their collegiate approach to ensemble music, there are benefits in showing the soloists’ voices to their best advantage, and I would have liked to have heard more of the solos performed in this way.
Soprano Fflur Wyn and bass William Gaunt are the main soloists in Chorus 2, taking on named roles, with Amy Lyddon and David Lee singing various crowd and witness voices. All acquit themselves well, with William Gaunt outstanding in his characterful portrayal of treachery and hypocrisy in Judas, Peter and Pilate.
The narrative is punctuated by arias, but also by chorales, metrical hymns to well-known tunes, some of them repeated, which the congregation may have sung at early performances. The most exciting use of the singers is in the crowd scenes, sometimes with a very brief comment but also in more extended question and answer format with a soloist. During the trial and crucifixion there are impassioned outbursts – the repeated ‘Have him crucified’ and the taunting ‘We hail thee, King of the Jews.’ The singers enter one after the other, their voices overlapping, with the sound seeming to travel across the chorus in waves. If anything is testament to the Consort’s skill and Nicholas Mulroy’s direction it is these searing cries delivered with such accuracy.
I very much enjoyed the Consort’s online ‘Matthew Passion’ last year which enabled me to follow the interaction of singers with the orchestra. I’m aware of having said little about the orchestra in this review. Unfortunately, there are some disadvantages in experiencing the work in this splendid building, notably the poor sightlines and the “ecclesiastic” acoustic. So some of the subtler instrumental effects which I appreciated in the filmed version were lost on me this time. Perhaps on the whole I prefer baroque sounds, whether sacred or profane, in a concert hall or opera house!
