St Mathew Passion

Worcester Cathedral

Elgar Chorale/ESO

BACH’s St Mathew Passion, a work of sacred choral music was not intended as a concert repertory in the way that we have come to think of even Mozart’s Requiem.

It is driven by the treatment of a very dramatic narrative which could not be more moving in its content. A man betrayed by one of his friends is about the die an agonising death on the cross and fears as anybody would this terrible end.

As this is a story, it is essential to be able to hear all the words. Whilst the soloists were very good, it was difficult to tell what the chorus was singing without the programme notes.

For all that, there was a sense that the Elgar Chorale, the soloists and the ESO under the direction of Donald Hunt, who conducted without a baton, captured the sheer drama of the narrative. Recitatives were often as solemn as solemn could be and Arias were at times uplifting as though anticipating the saviour’s power to redeem the world. So it was the music and its power to move that in the end makes this a very special piece. Especially well done were the suspensions in the soloists’ choral lines.

The audience is recognised as a congregation by being given six chorales to join in with, as was the habit in Bach’s time. Some melodies were better known than others.

Obviously, it isn’t a new idea to make the performance an act of worship rather than a concert. Donald Hunt did the same thing at St Georges Catholic Church some time ago. It must go down well at this time of year. Last night the fact that this was worship and not a performance was recognised by there being no clapping at the end, simply a blessing.