Some believe that the narrator of Bach’s St John Passion – the tenor who sings the Evangelist, the voice of the gospel-writer himself – is telling the story as one who witnessed the events firsthand; some say that’s impossible. But the urgency that the conductor Peter Whelan drew from the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists in this performance was certainly something to reinforce the idea.
Perhaps drawing on his operatic experience, Whelan’s feel for the music’s drama was evident from the opening moments, with the violins digging deep into their turbulent, restless accompaniment. The scene having been set, when this music returned later in the same movement it was more reserved, which built the tension even further. This was typical of a performance that played up the almost cinematic aspects of the work – the way in which Bach takes us directly into the midst of the courtroom and then cuts away for a moment of contemplation in an aria or chorale.
We heard both these elements – the action and the commentary – from the bass Konstantin Krimmel, who sang both Jesus’s words and the bass arias, roles often given to two different singers. In the former he was calm and solemn; in a stark contrast, there was almost a snarl to his delivery of the aria with the chorus, urging them to hurry to the scene of the crucifixion. Here Whelan took the command for haste literally, driving the music forward so fast that the notes almost fell over themselves, but it certainly created the sense that something was about to happen. The scene in the courtroom had already captured a sense of spiralling events thanks to the quick switches between chorus and soloists, and especially to the presence Malachy Frame lent to Pilate.
Similarly, Nick Pritchard sang both the Evangelist and the tenor solos, telling the story with easy-sounding authority. More colour came from Julia Doyle’s clear, sweet-sounding soprano, which made a fine foil for the richness of Rebecca Leggett’s alto solos, and especially from the characterful, energised chorus. But perhaps the most touching moment came when Jesus entrusts one of his disciples – perhaps John himself – with the care of his mother. Just a few lines, delivered simply by Pritchard and Krimmel, but with perfect weight, highlighting the human story within the Passion, which is what Bach did so very well.
