Reviewer: William
J. Gatens
In his program notes, Karl
Böhmer writes at some length about the different versions of the St John
Passion and the fact that it would have been performed in Bach’s day by no
more than eight voices, with the soloists also singing in the chorales and
choruses. Bach never produced a definitive final version of this, as he did
for the St Matthew Passion. The first version was written in Bach’s first
year at Leipzig for Good Friday of 1724. The 1725 version marks the greatest
departure from his original conception, with three replacement arias and a
new opening chorus based on ‘O Mensch Bewein’ that was later transposed up a
semitone for the conclusion of Part I of the St Matthew Passion. In 1739
Bach began work on what would have been a definitive version of the St John
Passion, but broke off for unknown reasons towards the end of Part I. The
version of 1749, the year before he died, returns for the most part to the
original conception of 1724, but with some revisions of the aria lyrics
(possibly mandated by the city authorities) and instrumentation.
The “standard” performing
edition is a compilation that corresponds to none of these exactly. In
general the libretto of 1724 and instrumentation of 1749 are favored. It
seems somewhat odd that Böhmer should delve into these historical matters
when the present recording is essentially the “standard” version performed
by a choir of about 30, a separate quartet of soloists for arias and
recitatives, and separate soloists for the Evangelist and Jesus.
The performance leaves a mixed
impression. The instruments seem closer and clearer than the voices. In
several places the solo voices are overbalanced. In secco recitatives the
harpsichord is so prominent as to be a distraction.
Peter Dijkstra generally
favors quick tempos. The orchestral introduction to the opening chorus of
Part I has a boldness and urgency that is very effective. The recitatives
tend to sound rushed and abrupt. The drama of the work demands vehemence,
but the effect here is more frantic than dramatic. Greater rhetorical
nuance is required. Much the
same can be said for the crowd choruses. They should be ferocious, but that
does not mean the tempos must always be blisteringly fast. Over the course
of the work that can be tiresome. The treatment of the chorales is often a
vexed question. I am convinced that they represent the voice of the
congregation, even if they are not actually sung by the congregation. They
ought to be sturdy, dignified, and steady—the devotional pillars that uphold
the more personal devotion and elaborate music of the arias and the
narrative flow of the recitatives and crowd choruses. Some directors turn
them into perfunctory little choral allemandes. Others treat them as
subjective choral part songs with many inflections of tempo and dynamics.
Dijkstra does not fall headlong into either of these extremes, but he
inclines to the part song approach, especially with exaggerated breaks for
commas in the text that do not correspond with the musical phrases. The
soloists are very good, though with the possible exception of Julian
Pregardien (Evangelist) their names are not quite household words. Bass
Tareq Nazmi has the dignified gravity for the role of Jesus. One of the most
beautiful aria performances here is by alto Ulrike Malotta, whose rich tone
and vocal control make ‘Es ist Vollbracht’ from Part II deeply
moving. Soprano Christina
Landshamer is clear and lithe in the athletic lines of ‘Ich Folge dir’.
Tenor Tilman Lichdi sounds technically stretched in ‘Erwäge, wie sein
Blutgefärbter Rüchen—tentative in places. Bass Kresimir Strazanac is
overbalanced in ‘Eilt, ihr Angefochtnen Seelen’, but he hardly has a
fighting chance with Dijkstra’s blistering tempo, which makes the aria sound
almost trivial.
The competition is stiff in
recordings, and without presuming to give a general overview, it is worth
mentioning some that I have found particularly attractive. John Eliot
Gardiner with the Monteverdi Choir, the English Baroque Soloists, and an
impressive roster of solo singers (SDG 712; J/A 2011) delivers a performance
that is at once poised and dramatic. Philippe Pierlot (Mirare 136; S/O 2011)
proves that the work really can be performed convincingly with slender
forces. The recording by Masaaki Suzuki and Bach Collegium Japan (BIS 921;
S/O 1999) may not be as strong dramatically as some others, but he excels in
the heartbreakingly meditative quality he brings to the arias. Peter
Dijkstra, who is described here as “an avowed anti-specialist”, has been
director of the Bavarian Radio Choir since 2005.
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