Solomon’s Knot in Bach’s 1725 model of the St John Ardour at Wigmore Corridor

The singers sat in an arc dealing with the viewers, with the instrumentalists behind. Provided that the singers had been performing the work from reminiscence, this meant that there was nothing between singer and viewers, the efficiency was on to us. Inevitably there was a component of live performance staging, thought had been given about what the singers had been really to do. They created a way of communal expertise, throughout a lot of the recitative the opposite singers remained standing, turning to take a look at the Evangelist. This additionally had the great benefit that this efficiency lacked the annoying popping up and down that often occurs. This was true of arias too, with generally a way that the opposite singers had been reluctant to take a seat down, to let issues go.

This communal expertise prolonged to the position of Evangelist which was shared between the 2 tenors, Thomas Herford and Ruari Bowen. I might fortunately have heard a whole work from both of them, each made compelling Evangelists. Herford maybe the extra considerate, thought of of the 2 with Bowen extra up entrance, giving us a extra story-teller facet. Each introduced readability to the phrases and if you already know the German you had been effectively set. There was a directness too, maybe an absence of artifice, notably with Herford’s efficiency, together with a way that they had been setting the scene and it was within the arias and choruses that the meat occurred.

The tenor solos had been sung by the singer who was Evangelist on the time, making them extensions of the narrative, the Evangelist’s private response. On the finish of Half One, Bowen gave a vividly vigorous and, at occasions, intense account of ‘Zerschmettert mich’ (Smash me, you rocks and hills) one of many new arias, and Herford introduced actual urgency to ‘Ach, windet euch nicht so’ (Ah, don’t wind yourselves thus) in Half Two, throwing off the extra virtuoso passages, and Bowen made the arioso ‘Mein Herz’, in direction of the tip, into an intense extension of his earlier recitatives.

Frederick Lengthy was Christus. Lengthy was nonetheless utilizing a rating however his efficiency was extremely communicative, and he made a sober Christus, bringing power and defiance into his lengthy scene with Johnny Sells’ Pilatus. In Half One, Lengthy acquired one of many new arias, displaying outstanding anger in ‘Himmel reisse’ (Heaven, tear aside! Earth shake!) performing with a youthful vitality. And in Half Two he sang the aria ‘Eilt, ihr angefochtnen Seelen’ (Hasten, ye harassed souls) in a vivid efficiency taken at fairly a lick. Hastening certainly.

Because the second bass soloist, Sells was one thing of the Lord Excessive Every part Else, contributing sturdy accounts of Petrus and Pilatus, in addition to taking up Double Bass duties when Jan Zahourek moved to viola da gamba. He additionally introduced nice thoughtfulness to ‘Mein teurer Heiland’ (My pricey Saviour), forming an incredible quintet with the 4 singers of the chorale in a manner that simply doesn’t occur when you’ve got a big choir.

That viola da gamba solo was in fact in ‘Es ist vollbracht’ (It’s completed) which was sung by Kate Symonds-Pleasure with full tone and actually critical intent, but abruptly quick and vivid within the central part. Earlier within the work, Michal Czerniawski had contributed a beautiful fluid account of ‘Von der Stricken’ (From the chains of my sins) with a terrific contribution from the wind gamers. 

Zoe Brookshaw introduced vivid tone and a way of great delight to ‘Ich folge dir’ with fabulous contributions from the 2 flautists, Eva Caballero and Marta Goncalves). The opposite soprano, Clare Lloyd-Griffiths lastly acquired her second in her plaintive account of ‘Zerfliesse, mein Herze’ (Soften, my coronary heart), the work’s ultimate aria.

Within the choral sections, I very a lot loved the steadiness with the vivid efficiency from the singers half of a complete quite than a refrain dominating. All through the instrumental performances introduced character and feeling to the piece, lots of the arias being in regards to the interplay between singer and gamers quite than a single soloist. Particularly, bassoonist Inga Maria Klaucke and oboists Rachel Chaplin and Robert de Bree did sterling work.

This was Bach’s St John Ardour carried out as a coherent complete quite than as a collection of linked threads and also you felt drawn into the performers’ collective emotional journal. On the finish we had Jacobus Handl’s motet Ecce quomodo moritur justus which Bach included after every efficiency of his passions.

Solomon’s Knot

Soprano Zoë Brookshaw, Clare Lloyd-Griffiths
Alto Kate Symonds-Pleasure, Michał Czerniawski
Tenor Thomas Herford, Ruairi Bowen
Bass Jonathan Sells (creative director), Frederick Lengthy

Violin 1 Magdalena Loth-Hill (chief), Agata Daraškaitė
Violin 2 George Clifford, Gabi Jones
Viola Joanne Miller
Cello Sarah McMahon
Double Bass / Viola da Gamba Jan Zahourek

Flute Eva Caballero, Marta Gonçalves
Oboe Rachel Chaplin, Robert de Bree
Bassoon Inga Maria Klaucke
Harpsichord / Organ James Johnstone