Stream: Dunedin Consort - St Matthew Passion
Several years ago, I met a young music-lover, a former classmate of my son, at the interval of a Dunedin Consort ‘Messiah’. He was awestruck and excited by their revolutionary approach to the oratorio. It was good to be reminded by him of the reasons we appreciate Dunedin and have been so lucky to see many of their performances over the years. I had a similar response watching their new Matthew Passion. The swiftness and flexibility made possible by their small forces. The assured attention to detail in the words and instrumental playing. The sense of the contemporary in an old text about an even older story. The confirmation of human values in a religious text. All of these qualities are still there and more. If you feel, as I confess I felt, daunted by the three hours running time, believe me it is worth the effort. Find a good translation of the text (see below) and settle down to enjoy it.
Hearing the Passion again after a break, I was struck by the power of the storytelling. The narrative is largely in the hands of Andrew Tortise as the Evangelist, and Matthew Brook who sings Christ. The words of the Lutheran Bible are vigorous and clear. Recitative moves the story forward briskly. Tortise is the main narrator, with Brook and the other singers picking up the words of the named characters. Crucial turning points are summed up starkly – Judas’s betrayal of Jesus to the high priests for thirty pieces of silver takes just five lines. Three singers, the Evangelist, a Maid and Peter dramatise Peter’s denial of Jesus. Throughout the first part, Brook builds up the character of Christ in his calm replies to the others, and increasingly through his sense of foreboding, as he knows what is about to happen to him. In his interval talk, Brook who has sung this part many times, explains the duality of Christ as God and man. Christ, who calmly in company tells Peter “before the cock crows, you will betray me three times”, very shortly, on his own pleads “My father, let this cup pass from me.” The adroit choice of words from the biblical text reveals Christ’s compassion for his followers, despite their frailties, but also his own terror.
Around this simple and dramatically told core, Bach constructs an elaborate musical structure. Director John Butt’s explanation of this in the programme is essential reading. The musical forces are small: eight singers, divided into two choirs each with soprano, alto, tenor and bass, stand either side of Butt conducting from the organ. Each sings solo, sometimes in a named part, as well as taking part in chorus work. There are 23 instrumentalists on stage, divided into two orchestras, both with strings and wind instruments.
Between the narrative sections of the cantata are recitatives and arias, each one a reflection on what’s happening, often giving voice to an emotion. The simple, often rhyming texts by the Leipzig poet, Picander, are set to beautiful melodies, with elaborations for the voice and instruments. Alto Jess Dandy impresses in her early solo, a reflection on the woman who brings Christ ointment – a foreshadowing of his crucifixion and burial. Her wonderful lower register rings out against the high melody in the accompanying flutes. She begins Part II with the aria and chorus “Ah where has my Jesus gone?”, which contains the splendid line “Mein Lamm in Tigerklauen” (my lamb in tiger’s clutches). Her later aria, with the chorus singing brief responses, is accompanied by two oboe caccia – hunting oboes, a forerunner of the horn – whose long curly shape produces an unusual plangent sound. Soprano Anna Dennis has one of the finest arias ‘Aus Liebe’. This has a long flute introduction and elaborate obbligato. In her interval comments flautist Katy Bircher notes that it’s the only solo without continuo, and so has a different texture to the rest of the work. It’s certainly another highlight of the performance. Dandy and Dennis also share duets in which their voices harmonise beautifully in intertwining legato lines.
Bass Benedict Nelson sings three named parts, Judas, Peter and Pilate and gives characterful accounts of each. Accompanied by violinist Henry Fang, he’s also adept in one of the faster arias, “Give me back my Jesus”. He, with Scots singers, tenor David Lee, alto Judy Brown and soprano Jessica Leary make up choir II. They sing small named parts and acquit themselves well in their solos.
The chorus singing is in two styles. The Chorales, sung in four parts, by all the singers are versions of traditional church music, in metrically rhythmical four-line verses. The Choruses are entirely different and are flexible pieces which vary in length – some are only an explosive line or two to underline an event or an emotion. In the more elaborate sections, there are fugues, overlapping voices, and more intricate rhythms. Musically they are the most exciting sections of the work.
The choruses are vital in the Passion, yet it wouldn’t touch us so deeply without its principal singers. So I’d like to return to the performances of Andrew Tortise and Matthew Brook. In some ways Tortise has the harder job. The Evangelist sings more than anyone else and introduces us to much drama and sorrow. Yet he must do so plainly without showing emotion himself. (His impassioned recounting of the crucifixion with frenzied string accompaniment is a rare exception). I find in his performance a commitment to plain storytelling, and a dedication to the truth. He puts his fine voice entirely to that task, so that we don’t notice the strain of the long role and the difficult passages in a higher register. Brook points out in his interval talk that the role of Christ is different in each part. In part I he has much to say to the disciples whether in short exchanges or in homilies. In the second, he sings very little in the character of Christ, but he has two memorable arias. The first is in the role of Simon the Cyrenian, who carries the cross when Christ weakens. So for this aria he assumes the part of Christ’s surrogate. “Komm susses Kreutz” (come sweet cross) is a gentle and appealing aria, Brook’s splendid bass, accompanied by the low notes of solo viola da gamba – an early cello. In his final recitative and aria – after Christ’s heart-rending cry, “My God why have you forsaken me” - he reflects on the greater significance of the crucifixion, alluding to Old Testament imagery in the recitative, and then, accompanied by full orchestra, he presents a reassuring message in the aria. The lilting upbeat melody, perhaps unexpectedly, allows Brook to sum up his role as Christ, in its warmth and humanity. It’s a terrific performance.
We all look forward to the day when we’ll see the Dunedin Consort perform live again. Till then John Butt’s astute direction of one of their key works is available online for £11.50 until the 26th April. Some words of caution. If you’re not already a subscriber to Perth Concert Hall, allow a good 10 minutes to get into the stream, while you answer questions about your age and access needs! I watched the recording of the stream, and there were some issues with the sound quality, noted also by others watching. Listening through headphones worked fine, though I needed the volume turned up full. Visually things were fuzzy in the long shots and the ‘atmospheric’ changes in lighting seemed unnecessary. This is a pity, as Dunedin’s broadcasts from Greyfriars last autumn were models of best practice in streaming.
The programme is available through the Horsecross link as noted below, but not the Dunedin website. However while I was working this out, I found a very useful text and translation in interlinear format on the Bach Cantatas website. I preferred its 2008 contemporary English translation by Francis Brown to the one used in the programme, and the website also gives details of the instrumentation used in each chorus or aria. It’s worth checking both to see what you prefer.
Available to stream until the 26th of April via the Horsecross website.
