Dunedin Consort: Matthew Passion
St John’s Kirk, Perth; 13/4/25
Dunedin Consort, John Butt (director & keyboard), Joanne Lunn & Alys Mererid Roberts (sopranos), James Hall & Sarah Anne Champion (counter-tenor & alto), Hugo Hymas & Matthew McKinney (tenors), Ashley Riches & Frederick Long (basses)
On the afternoon of 13th April, St John’s Kirk in Perth was the venue for the third of three Dunedin Consort performances of Bach’s masterpiece, the St Matthew Passion, conducted by the Consort’s director, John Butt. Even concertgoers familiar with the ensemble’s breathtakingly successful “less is more” approach to baroque staples like Handel’s ‘Messiah’ may have wondered how this would translate to a work for double chorus and double orchestra. The winning formula rose to the challenge. One vocalist sang each of the SATB lines in each of the two ‘choruses’, just 8 singers in all. A dozen sopranos from the RSNO Youth Chorus, at the back of the altar, provided a vocal ripieni boost in some numbers in the First Part (elsewhere often sung by boys’ voices). The instrumental ensemble was beefy enough, with 4 violins in each of the two orchestras, plus a viola, a cello (one doubling viola da gamba), a violone (bass viol), two baroque oboes and two baroque flutes. A continuo organ did what it said on the tin, abetted by the violoni. Even tuning, the sound was rich and warm, for the most part supported by the acoustic of the venue (the ripieni sopranos were, to my ears, a bit remote and the only chink in the otherwise flawless dynamic balance). As is traditional, the work was performed in two parts with an interval. Attendance was very satisfactory.
Each of the 8 chorister/soloists doubled a ‘role’, with varying degrees of prominence. The eponymous Evangelist, tasked with delivering the whole Gospel narrative of Christ’s passion, death and burial, much of it as recitative, is the most stamina-demanding of these. It was sung by the tenor of Choir 1, Hugo Hymas, with crystal clarity of German diction and a delicious tension between the matter-of-factness of the words and the evocation of woe, grief, horror, pathos and guilt in the music. Excellent. Individual commentary, preaching and meditation on the Gospel message are also dotted throughout the work. One such solo tenor recitative and aria with Choir 2 was ‘O Schmerz!’ followed by ‘Ich will bei meinem Jesu wachen’, abject guilt at the failure to keep watch at Gethsemane, followed by resolve to repent. With its radiant oboe melody and beautiful continuo, this aria was one of many highlights of the afternoon.
Matthew’s Gospel is rich in reported speech of individuals, which Bach gives to soloists. Unsurprisingly, the most prominent of these is Jesus himself. Bass-baritone Ashley Riches sang the bass line of Choir 1 and the solo ‘role’ of Christus, warm and characterful across the full tonal range. The extended episodic sequence dealing with the Last Supper in the middle of the First Part, which Bach adumbrates with some of his most dramatic music, includes Jesus predicting Judas’ betrayal (Hand mit mir in die Schüssel) Chilling and magical in equal measure, this sequence was another highlight. No less chilling was the foretelling of Peter’s craven renunciation. Towards the end of the Second Part, when Jesus’ body has been claimed for burial by Joseph of Arimathea, and no longer in character as Jesus, Ashley had a dark and suspenseful recitative followed by an optimistic aria, the former (Am Abend) rich in the symbolism of finality, the latter (Mache dich, mein Herze, rein) hopeful of the redemption now unlocked.
The soprano line in Choir 1 was sung by the supremely talented Joanne Lunn. Her ‘ancillary role’ was indeed as one of the maidservants accusing Peter of being a disciple, but far greater were her two gorgeous ‘commentary recitative-and-arias’, and a lovely duet with the alto line, of which more later. The first of these, grieving for the sacrificial lamb of the Last Supper (Wiewohl mein Herz in Tränen schwimmt) but bestowing her own heart joyfully in return (Ich will dir mein Herze schenken), supported by a pair of sweet oboes and continuo, was gorgeous. But the second, in the middle of the Second Part, is a recitative listing Christ’s blessings on mankind (Er hat uns alle wohlgetan) and an aria marvelling at the love with which he must bear the ordeals through which they are bestowed (Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben). Standing at the back of Orchestra 1 beside flautist Katy Bircher playing modern transverse flute, her performance of this achingly beautiful aria was another exquisite highlight and probably my favourite of the afternoon, as the afterglow is still with me two days later as I type.
The alto line of Choir 1 was performed by counter-tenor James Hall. Whilst there was no associated named ‘role’ of reported speech, Bach has been generous with solos that pack dramatic and emotional impact. First though, near the end of the First Part, just as Jesus is captured following Judas’ betrayal, there is a duet for soprano and ‘alto’ bemoaning the capture, with dramatic interjections from Choir 2 (Laßt ihn, haltet, bindet nicht!) demanding his release. Joanne and James’ voices blended beautifully in the duet (So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen), another highlight. The Second Part opened with another lamenting aria, ‘Ach! Nun ist mein Jesus hin!’, answered by Choir 2 in rich counterpoint, supported by a lovely oboe line, with which James’ voice blended perfectly. Another commentary lament, repesenting Peter’s dejection and misery after his betrayal and one of Bach’s greatest hits, ‘Erbarme dich’, featured an achingly beautiful violin solo from Huw Daniel and was absolutely superb – another candidate for favourite highlight. Just before the death of Jesus, James’ baleful recitative (Ach Golgatha, unselges Golgatha!), answered by his aria of redemption with interrogative interjections (wo?; wohin?; etc.) from Choir 2, featured a pair of oboes, with which his voice once again blended perfectly. The counter-tenor tessitura is perhaps not everybody’s cup of tea, but I would challenge its fiercest critic to remain unmoved by James’ golden voice. Superb.
The soprano line of Choir 2 was sung by Welsh soprano Alys Mererid Roberts, also delivering reported speech lines for the other maidservant and Pontius Pilate’s wife. In addition, she had a poignant solo aria of lament, ‘Blute nur, du liebes Herz!’, the context suggesting the mother of Judas, distraught at having reared a vile traitor.
The alto line of Choir 2 was delivered by British mezzo Sarah Anne Champion, with a few sung words as one of the False Witnesses against Jesus. After the release of Barabbas and the committal of Jesus for humiliation and execution, she had a solo recitative of lament at the brutality (Erbarm es, Gott!) and an aria of self-mortification (Können Tränen meiner Wangen), which were thoroughly excellent.
The tenor of Choir 2, young Scotsman and RCS graduate Matthew McKinney was the other False Witness. Perhaps ironically, he then had a recitative (Mein Jesus schweigt) admiring Jesus’ refusal to respond to the trumped-up charges, followed by an aria (Geduld! Wenn mich falsche Zungen stechen) praying for the strength to emulate Jesus’ forbearance, the former grimly trudging, the latter buoyant with tripping rhythms supported by cellos. This challenging aria received an impressive and compelling outing.
Versatile bass-baritone Frederick Long sang the bass line in Choir 2, delivering also the reported speech of Judas, Peter, Caiaphas the High Priest, and Pontius Pilate. An important recitative and aria, following Christ’s submission to his father’s will if he will not “allow this cup to pass”, is a commentary (Der Heiland fällt vor seinem Vater) followed by a pledge of emulation (Gerne will ich mich bequemen). Frederick delivered these with a directness and convincing sincerity. Top drawer Bach. Another stand-alone aria, immediately after Judas’ suicide (Gebt mir meinem Jesu wieder!) movingly expressed the wretchedness of the guilty man whose deed cannot be undone. Scampering violins depicted the scattering of the 30 pieces of silver, while Rebecca Livermore’s solo violin expressed the unbearable weight of Judas’ guilt. Another bass recitative-and-aria followed the mention of Simon of Cyrene and dealt with helping to carry the cross of life’s vicissitudes, special because of an exquisitely ornate cello solo.
Yet again the Dunedin Consort, with John Butt’s vision and scholarship, and pared-down forces delivering a distilled and compelling directness, brought poignancy and catharsis to the performance of a Baroque masterpiece. An unforgettable way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Full marks from me.