Search - Bach J.S, Equiluz, Vienna Cm :: Bach J.S: St John Passion

Invigorating "St John"

Johannes Climacus | Beverly, Massachusetts | 08/13/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a reissue of Harnoncourt's acclaimed St. John Passion from early in his career. This was, I believe, the first recorded version on period instruments (with all-male soloists and choir, according to the understanding of Bach's performance practice that prevailed in the 1960's). There have been many "early music" versions since then, but this remains one of the best, even if it can't quite compete with such latter-day luminaries of the Baroque as Gardiner and Suzuki.



Harnoncourt directs a well-paced performance, intimate in scale, and gentler in tone than we might have expected from him. The choral singing is splendidly incisive. The solo singing is uneven, though the young Kurt Equiluz (Evangelist) and Max von Egmond (Christus) have seldom been surpassed in their respective roles. The boy soprano and alto cope pretty well with the demands of their arias, but their somewhat breathy tone can be distracting. Bert van t'Hoff proves a pleasingly light soloist for the tenor arias ("Erwäge" for once not too much of a trial for the ear), though Jacques Villesech doesn't have either the range or the stamina for the bass arias.



The Concentus Musicus, at this stage in its career, could be counted on to produce playing that is rhythmically vital and mostly in tune, though there is a certain stiffness of phrasing that characterized period performance practice in its infancy. The spiritual depth of the work, however, is effectively conveyed, and I appreciate these musicians' dedicated and reverent (though not sanctimonious) approach to Bach. Latterly, early music performers have become more glamorous--and glamorized by promoters--sometimes to the detriment of musical (and spiritual) values.



The recording has come up well in this remastering--bright and clear, with sufficient reverberation to create a sense of space around the voices.



Altogether this is one of the better St. John's recorded with early-music forces, even if, for this reviewer, it must rank several notches below Karl Richter's stunningly dramatic "traditional" version, available on an inexpensive DG double-pack."

Best Recording I've Found - Now on CD

Bill G. | Los Angeles, CA | 12/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had this Harnoncourt recording on vinyl and searched for it on CD for years.



I even bought other recordings ... but was always disappointed.



I finally found the Harnoncourt on Amazon.



The best!



Sheer ecstacy."