ED2016 5/5 Reviews ED2016 Music Reviews

Bach’s St Matthew Passion (Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists / Edinburgh International Festival)

By Louise Rodgers | Published on Monday 22 August 2016

This was three hours of a shared life experience, not just a festival concert. Picander’s heartbreaking libretto was given wings by JS Bach when he wrote this Baroque masterpiece; the way these world class musicians humbly placed themselves at the service of his music kept me enthralled, moved and finally exhausted. The rise and fall of the words gave meaning to every single syllable – James Gilchrist was magnificent. The dramatic fury of the chorus and two orchestras, reserved for outbursts of raging at injustice, contrasted terrifyingly with the gentle beauty of the chorales. Reginald Mobley was a masterful alto and the period instruments were perfection itself. Completely overwhelming – how lucky I was to be there.

Usher Hall, 13 Aug.
tw rating 5/5 | [Louise Rodgers]