Soloists Mary Bevan (Soprano), Roderick Morris (Counter-tenor), Richard Dowling (Tenor, arias), James Oxley (Tenor, Evangelist), Marcus Farnsworth (Bass, arias), Stephen Cooper (Bass, Jesus)
The choir’s first cries of ‘Herr, unser Herrscher’ were delivered with such fervent conviction that there seemed no choice but to believe that goodness will rise triumphantly out of betrayal and humiliation
Review by William Ruff for Nottingham Evening Post
YOU could tell that the St John Passion is well and truly embedded in the lifeblood of the Bach Society. Their long familiarity with Bach’s great work meant the story could be told with a vivid sense of drama and that the audience could have confidence that the work’s technical challenges would inspire rather than be a cause for concern.
The choir’s first cries of ‘Herr, unser Herrscher’ were delivered with such fervent conviction that there seemed no choice but to believe that goodness will rise triumphantly out of betrayal and humiliation.
Conductor Paul Hale drew singing and playing of clarity and power from his choral and orchestral forces, with each chorale movingly expressing the emotions generated by each stage of the narrative.
James Oxley as the Evangelist combined vocal beauty with an ability to project his story deeply within the audience’s imagination. Each recitative was skillfully paced, always sensitive to mood and meaning.
The arias were sung by a highly promising team of young soloists (Mary Bevan, Roderick Morris, Richard Dowling and Marcus Farnsworth) often with distinguished instrumental accompaniment.
Stephen Cooper sang the role of Jesus with sensitivity.