A capacity audience was in St Ann's Church last Sunday, to hear Bach's St Matthew Passion. Given as part of the Orchestra of St Cecilia's Bach series, this performance struck a middle-way between the 100 or more performers common since the 19th-century and the three dozen used by present-day historical specialists.
It was one-to-a-part, except in the 40-strong double chorus - sung by Canzona Chamber Choir, Draíocht Chamber Choir, and the Dublin School of Young Singers. In that respect, and others, the performance played safe.
Nobody could have raised controversy over the speeds adopted by the conductor, Blánaid Murphy, who also resisted any temptation to force expression. While the choirs were not always secure with entries, one was never anxious that something might go seriously wrong.
As Christus, Nigel Williams (bass-baritone) had presence and unforced gravitas, and as the Evangelist, John Elwes (tenor) was a model of authority. The other soloists, Rachel Talbot (soprano), Alison Browner (alto) and John Milne (bass), were reliable, and several of the arias were the highlights they should have been. Bach packs into the Evangelist's role the narration, commentary, dramatisation and contemplation which shapes the work as a whole. John Elwes captured all that, and provided many of the performance's most moving moments.
The choral and orchestral contributions did not reach that level, largely because they did not define detail sufficiently to make fine differentiation. Nevertheless, this was a creditable account of one of the greatest works in all music.
