The Dunedin Consort: Bach’s St Matthew Passion
Queens Hall - 06/04/23
John Butt, director
A night of passion and excellence.
A performance of Bach’s St Mathew Passion has become an annual ritual each year in Scotland thanks to the wonderful Dunedin Consort under the direction of their great conductor John Butt. In discussion at the interval of what is a long 7~10pm performance, we reflected how lucky we were to be present at what was a very high quality performance from the orchestra, the soloists and the chorus. Performances of the Mathew Passion take place all over the world at this time, but I think I can say with some authority that few will be lucky enough to experience a quality performance such as this.
That quality begins at the top with John Butt, whom, although English, after more than 20 years in Scotland, we regard as one of our own. In that time as well as his scholarship on Bach and his international conducting duties, he has fashioned the Dunedin Consort into the leading baroque ensemble in Scotland, in the UK and beyond, something recognised by critics and Gramophone award winning recordings. John Butt is a small man but there is no doubt who is in charge when he is on stage; leaning on his organ he manages to play often with one hand while conducting with the other and of course managing his music as well. His orchestra respond brilliantly to his direction and produce a great accompaniment to the singers and what singers they were.
John Butt had arranged his principal singers into two 4 person choruses at the front of the orchestra, backed up by some young singers from the RSNO Youth Chorus at the back. There wasn’t a weak voice among the 8 principal singers and some very good performances among them. Nardus Williams is a very fine young soprano and is making a name for herself in the opera house where to be truthful I suspect she is more at ease than choral works or Lieder. Next to her in Chorus One was Jess Dandy who lived up to the description in her profile in the programme; her voice was “an instrument of velvety plangent timbre” and it was marvellous, for me the best voice of the night particularly in her aria ‘Erbarme Dich’. Andrew Tortise, the tenor and Evangelist in Chorus One, began a little light and thin, but the voice warmed up and he gave a very strong performance. Edward Grint, the bass and Jesus, had replaced an indisposed Neale Davies and proved an excellent substitute. Miriam Allen was a very sound soprano in Chorus Two, as were Rory McCleery, alto, Christopher Bowen, tenor, and Christopher Webb, bass.
The Passion at three hours is a long work, particularly in the uncomfortable seats in The Queens Hall (I hope our new concert hall has softer seats!), but it never palled. Following the text in German, which my co-editor Christine tells me was very well delivered, comparing it to the translation and listening to the great voices and music was indeed gripping. It was indeed a night of passion and excellence.
