Has Many Merits Lacking in Later, Fussier Recordings
Philip Smith, Bookseller | Berkeley, California | 08/21/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've listened to quite a few recordings of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, and this one has emerged as a personal favorite. The performance is more in keeping with mid-twentieth-century practice, so the sound is more resonant, the tempi are more measured, and there is a greater Christian spiritual dimension than with later recordings (which often seem to reflect a certain cultivated superficiality, as if afraid to confront the work in its metaphysical aspect). The sound, likewise, conveys a natural presence without obtrusive texture. This is a good place to begin with one of the very greatest works of Western music."
Simply the best unless you demand ultramodern performance pr
Jessica Weissman | Silver Spring, MD USA | 08/29/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This one is good. Excellent singers, heartfelt performances. Not heavy or more Teutonic than necessary. Pace is good.
If you're looking for modern performance practice, go with Herrweghe. Otherwise this one is fine, especially for the price."
Romatnic, reverent Bach on a smaller scale
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 05/09/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a welcome bargain release for Bach traditionalists. However, when it first came out in 1969, it was considered among the most modern St. Matthew Passions -- reviewers were struck by the smallish choirs, quick tempos, and overall smoothness and polish of the reading. At the time Gonnenwin's chief rivals were both German -- Karl Munchinger and Karl Richter -- with the latter being the prestige choice. DG released Richter's Bach in linen-covered boxes.
Now, of course, Gonnenwein's polish and smoothness feel Romantic, his tempos less than energetic, his approach rather churchy. Still, the original reviewers knew a solid account when they heard one, and in retrospect this St. Matthew remains what it was back then, the most musical of the traditional choices, light enough to avoid ponderousness, devout enough to remind us of Bach's intense piety. The soloists are all quite good, the Evangelist and Jesus taken by two men with beautiful voices, Theo Altmeyer and Franz Crass.
As far as numbers go, we are miles away from Bach's world. He expected just four singers to constitute not only the main chorus but also the roles of Jesus and the Evangelist. These meager forces were backed up in the biggest choruses and chorales by four more singers, for a grand total of eight. The two antiphonal orchestras were scarcely larger, so even Gonnenwein's modest forces are mammoth by Bach's standards (is there a truly authentic recording where the chorus and soloists are the same singers?).
The prevailing mood of the St. Matthew Passion is dominated by reflection on the suffering of Christ. The work is not meant to be operatic (a term abhorred in Lutheran church music), and it is likely that the narration of the Passion story wasn't meant to sound dramatic, either. Current HIP performances tend to err on both counts: the likes of Suzuki, Herreweghe, and Gardiner are not devout enough and far too dramatic. I, for one, am happy with these aberrations, however, since to my ears music-making without expression is dull. We aren't in an unheated Lutheran church contemplating our sins through a five-hour service.
Gonnenwein's only great flaw is that he is too straightforward in telling the story. If you have absorbed the modern fashion of Passion-as-quasi-opera, his soloists will feel a bit restrained. On the other hand, the intense Christianity found in readings from Karajan and Furtwangler in the decades preceding this recording -- and the Klemperer account from around the same time -- led to as much heavy-heartedness as exaltation. So maybe the most musical of modern readings turn out to be the best we can do as secular listeners in concert halls.
These are passing reflections only. On musical grounds this is a noteworthy traditional St. Matthew whose feeling is uplifting and not at all ponderous."
Rough transitions between some tracks
Frank White | Windsor, Ontario Canada | 06/08/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I'm certainly no expert on classical music so I restrict my brief comment to the recording quality. For some reason the transition between many of the tracks, especially the shorter ones, was very rough and jarring, with the audio either clipped or carried over from one track to the next. Compared to the pricing for other recordings of Bach's Passion, this EMI was a bargain. Is there a connection between the bargain-basement price and the recording quality? Or perhaps I failed to read the product description or comments from other reviewers who also pointed this out."
Track Listings (36) - Disc #1
