St. John passion

"Vurdering: Recording of the month" - "This is the most bitingly dramatic St John Passion to have come my way in years ... That is the story of the whole recording, which I found to be tremendously involving and, in fact, highly recommendable. Dijkstra is the presiding genius, and it is his sense of vision that inhabits everything else ... The other most consistent asset of the recording is Julian Prégardien's Evangelist ... The other soloists are very fine, too ... In short, this is a hit".

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"The Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks deliver full-toned singing marked by a compelling and often moving unity that is constantly rewarding ... Dijkstra has selected his team of soloists remarkably well with each speaker and singer demonstrating an innate sympathy for the sacred text. Telling the story in the crucial role of Evangelist tenor Julian Prégardien demonstrates his affinity for the texts. He is remarkably consistent and has a stunning clarity of diction ... With his usual calm assurance director Dijkstra pulls his forces together to reveal plenty of fine detail ... Dijkstra does indeed step forward with an inspirationally intense performance".

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"Recommended: The first time I put the disc that contains Part One into the player I was rocked back on my heels. I can't readily recall hearing an account of the opening chorus that is so urgent ... It sets the tone for much of what is to follow. This is a taut and dramatic account of the St John Passion ... Suzuki's principal soloists are all excellent ... The singers of Bach Collegium Japan are magnificent throughout ... The 21 instrumentalists of Bach Collegium Japan are just as impressive as their chorus colleagues and never once was I anything other than delighted by the obbligato contributions to the arias ... When one thinks of the pressure under which this recording came into being, I can only take my hat off ... By any measure it is a considerable achievement and a major addition to the discography of both Bach Collegium Japan and this great masterpiece".

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"For all I love and respect the St Matthew Passion, my admiration and affection for the St John Passion is even greater, not least because its taut, urgent telling of the story itself brings us face to face - indeed, confronts us - with the drama of the Passion narrative. Here, it's in the best possible hands; Philippe Herreweghe, his singers and instrumentalists penetrate to the heart of Bach's masterpiece".

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"From the pounding, grinding opening chorus onwards, this is a completely gripping picture of the Passion story ... One shock to a purist early-music approach will be the use of the eloquent tenor Maximilian Schmitt as a thoroughly operatic Evangelist, but he matches well the dramatic approach of the whole ... Herreweghe's choir Collegium Vocale Gent, replenished over the years, is ever fresh and precise".

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"Judging this new Johannes-Passion in its own right, you'd find a flowing, deeply felt and superbly executed period instrument performance by choir, orchestra, and soloists. The main objective seems to let the music be heard as naturally as possible, letting the listener fully appreciate the unfolding story without intrusive musical decisions".

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"Vurdering: Presto disc of the week" - "An immediate, natural-feeling Passion - no showy heroics or histrionics from Jacobs, who has sometimes been known to push the boat out and court controversy in his operatic productions. Here he simply offers a well-thought-out, intelligently-paced and balanced re-telling of the story, clearly and committedly performed, allowing the music and the theology to assume centre stage".

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"Kings College Choir Cambrige med Stephen Cleobury på podiet garanterer for stil og smag. Bortvendt fra dyrkelsen af "navne", som disse udførelser er, skal så meget mere diskretionen fremhæves som en sjælden dyd i disse omgivelser. Faktisk som en betydelig konkurrent til de nok så berømte optagelser med de solister, man kender fra andre udgaver og for den sags skyld også fra operaens verden".

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"Vurdering: Recording of the month - Vurdering: Gramophone choice" - "Naturalness and emotional honesty are what emerges from this tight-knit and perfectly paced ensemble assion".

"At this sort of musical reconstruction, Butt's idea is to contextualize the St John Passion, carefully removing it from the gallery wall and setting it in a re-created Vespers service as might have been celebrated on Good Friday in Bach's Leipzig ... The choral parts are sung by ... a strong, tight unit that responds quickly and subtly ... All of the soloists are generally outstanding ... It may be a musical and liturgical reconstrucion of a performance that never actually took place, but for all its presumption and informed guesswork it's a remarkable project".

"The choral singing is, as we have come to expect from any choir directed by Layton, neat and precise ... This is a particularly distinctive St John Passion, notable for the excellence of the singing and, most particularly, for Bogstridge's masterly Evangelist".

"Vurdering: Gramophone choice" - "Stephen Layton's outstanding new St John is about as state-of-the-art a Bach Passion recording as you'll hear ... Take as read the urgency, clarity, balance and declamatory unanimity of the chorus ... Layton's reality is about cultivating the focus of each sentiment with supreme corporate executancy ... Bostridge is the master story-teller who surveys all about him ... Alongside the top-class and pliable choral singing of Polyphony comes the roll call of exceptional soloists".

"The eight-strong ensemble is unerringly committed to text in Herr, unser Herrscher, which is taken quickly by Minkowski and played vividly by Les Musiciens du Louvre ... The rapid narrative from Lothar Odinius's lively if somewhat dry Evangelist and rapid turba choruses means that there is seldom a dull moment ... Minkowski's willingness to ask fresh questions certainly avoids complacency".

"[From the outset] the driving bass-lines, turbulently swirling strings, wailing oboes and crisp harpsichord continuo of Concerto Köln establish this as an emotionally engaging performance. The Bavarian Radio Chorus's disciplined precision in vigorous fugues and vividly characterised turba choruses will appeal to those who like some old-fashioned gutsiness and broad sonorities".

"Editor's choice: Here we have a reading that feels as if, deep in the psyche of the performers, they know this is all happening close to the wire. Gilchrist is again on masterly form, risking pinpoint precision for graphic description in a way that makes the experience feel `live' in every respect ... Suzuki takes us as co-travellers in a search of faith, not necessarily assuming us all as believers ... This extraordinarily vital, human and emotional rendering joins the recent "St Matthews" in another effulgent release of exceptional expressive candour and range ... and gives us a pair of Passions at the high table of modern Bach discography".

"Charles Daniels weaves his narration with beguiling eloquence ... Huggett's astonishingly quick pace for the opening chorus does not prohibit a smooth contrinution from Cappella Romana but the Oregonians' meticulous turba interjections seldom project theatricality ... A product of strong musicianship, detailed thinking and artistic integrity".

"There has been quite a harvest of St John Passions lately ... In Avie's new release, renowned Monica Huggett travels to Oregon to direct the period-instrument Portland Baroque Orchestra. The instrumental results are often excellent and it seems that she might have been a special inspiration to the violins in particular ... Daniels's musicality remains impressive throughout but the text seems a little further down his list of priorities than it might be. His fellow soloists are not really at his level ... In the choruses this is audibly a small choir (and an admirably agile one) rather than an augmented consort".

"Editor's choice: While there is a predominance of young voices in the minor roles and the exceptional Monteverdi Choir, Gardiner's dramatic personae are mainly seasoned Bachians. He gives them full rein to explore the most febrile and visceral aspects for their vocal delivery and dramatic imaginations ... Don't expect polish at every corner as one would a studio recording; both the deliberate and undeliberate rough edges are part of possibly the most incandescently full-blooded interpretation to date ... Brace yourself for an immersive Passion that take no prisoners".

"There has been quite a harvest of St John Passions lately ... As was the case with Kuijken's St. Matthew, listeners seeking a more contemplative view of the work will find this recording probably the most satisfying yet - and listeners seeking a version with one voice per part should on no account hesitate".

"Sigiswald Kuijken's thoughtful and measured St John presents quite a contrast to two recent readings, from the comparatively uneventful Nico van der Meel and the collective emotional impact of Alexander Weimann ... The corporate, unsentimental singing of chorales, soft-grained intstrumental commentaries and a highly responsive continuo team all conspire to form a critically focused and eloquent new account ... where less is more - physically and emotionally".

"In short, this is a St John with a distinct character of its own, and whether or not that will appeal is up to the listener ... Egarr is good at using his 16-voice chorus to release the music's natural line and warmth".

"Musically, then, this is a splendid performance which leaves the listener exhausted both physically and emotionally".

"Editor's choice: This is indeed one of the most thoughtful, affecting and powerful St John Passions in recent years. It reveals the mature mastery of Herreweghe at his most perspicacious and consistent, with Collegium Vocale Gent paving the way with gold".

"Vurdering: E (Editor's choice)" - "Perhaps the most disarming quality overall is the way that Gardiner's understanding of devotional ritual - drawn unquestionably from his unique Pilgrimage a few years earlier - translates into a new world, not wrinkle-free but one where sadness and hope seem to hover as tantalising in this work as I have heard".

"Jacobs picks singers to suit his purpose, and all here show a controlled expressive ardency that never allows the performance's emotional coherence to slip. Werner Güra's Evangelist is both elegant and immediate, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin are typically excellent, and while the RIAS Chamber Choir is not as coolly blended an ensemble as some, who says it has to be in a piece where personal involvement counts for so much".

"Cappella Amsterdam numbers only 24 singers but they produce plenty of decibels when required ... The soloists are a mixed bag. As the Evangelist, Markus Schäfer paces the recitatives well".

"This is a most moving performance. It is beautifully conduced by Fran Brüggen, unfolding a natural expressiveness that is never short on drama but avoids the slash-and-burn vigour of some other period-instrument versions ... This is a very special recording and one I recommend most warmly".

"Cantus Cölln's vastly experienced vocal ensemble has often proved that its sum is greater than its individual parts but on this occasion the solo singing is also consistently effective ... The product of strong musicianship, detailed thinking and artistic integrity, and Cantus Cölln's effort becomes another of my faourite examples of this approach to the St John Passion".

"As always for Bach, Cantus Cölln adopts a near-minimalist approach to performing forces ... its chorus has two voices per part, althoug its "orchestra" is strictly one instrument per part ... Konrad Junghänel directs a fairly conventional but perceptive interpretation and he is admirably supported by his fine instrumental ensemble ... However, the choral and solo singing are somehow dissatisfying on this recording ... Alone of the vocalists, the bass Wolf Matthias Friedrich is outstanding ... This is a rare instance of Cantus Cölln failing to achieve excellence. I hope it is only a blip rather than a trend".