United Kingdom Bach, St John Passion: Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Helen Charlston (alto), Nicholas Mulroy (Evangelist, tenor), Dingle Yandell (Jesus, bass), Ed Lyon (arias, tenor), Jonathan Brown (Pilate, bass), Academy of Ancient Music / Laurence Cummings (director and harpsichord). Barbican Hall, London, 18.4.2025. (JR)

Easter for many is the traditional time for chocolate eggs, roast lamb and Bach Passions. In London this Easter probably the highest profile Bach Passion came from the Academy of Ancient Music under Laurence Cummings. It was a performance of expected quality.
To emphasise the nature of the work, designed originally to be part of the Good Friday service in Protestant (Lutheran) Northern Germany, Cummings and his forces were virtually all on the stage as the audience entered, so welcoming applause was absent and would have been inappropriate. The lights were dimmed and off we went.
The 21 members of the chorus were not arranged in the usual sections, but mixed: the advantage was a blended sound throughout; it did, however, make it harder to hear the middle voices, especially the altos. Cummings, in a recent interview, explained that Bach had deliberately written in the vernacular, in his case of course the German language, for performance in Leipzig and the Academy clearly wanted, above all, to tell the story. Surtitles in English helped the audience, as did the detailed printed programme. Praise must go to German language coach Katja Parmar for her work in ensuring the very best diction throughout – it sounded like native speakers were singing. I single out, as just one example, ‘verlacht, verhöhnt und verspeit’ from ‘Christus, der uns selig macht’. The chorales were beautifully and thoughtfully sung, emphasis on certain words to bring out the meaning. ‘Turba’ sections were incisive; the many tricky ‘Wohin?’ interjections spot on, quieter than often the case. I was much taken by the chorus’s attack in ‘Wäre dieser nicht ein Übeltäter’, ‘wir dürfen niemand töten’ and the rhythmic ‘Lasset uns den nicht zerteilen’ and ‘Bist du nicht seiner Jünger einer’; finally, the heart-rending ‘Ruht wohl’ was most beautifully sung.
Nicholas Mulroy as the Evangelist simply has no peers in this country, the programme correctly described him as ‘incomparable’; he knows this part by heart, impressively no score in hand. He also knows how to accentuate particular words such as ‘Backenstreich’ and ‘weinete bitterlich’. As a Cambridge University modern language scholar, his German is fluent. He is my Evangelist of choice, as he is for most British conductors of this work.
I did not know Dingle Yandell. He was one the ‘Rising Stars’ of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and a founding member of VOCES8. His warm, mellow bass-baritone suited the role perfectly. Carolyn Sampson’s singing was, as ever, a highlight; her first aria ‘Ich folge dir gleichfalls mit freudigen Schritten’ was sparkling and aptly joyful. Helen Charlston is not yet in the same league as the other soloists, she was only recently a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist. Even though lacking some stage presence, she showed great promise: ‘Von den Stricken’ was suitably strident, and ‘es ist vollbracht’ was most moving, even if the viola da gamba (Reiko Ichise) often threatened to steal the limelight.
Ed Lyon’s firm tenor made a fine impression, especially in his aria ‘Erwäge wie sein blutgefärbter Rükken’. Jonathan Brown, as Pilate, was suitably stentorian, where required, and sonorous in his arias.
The orchestra were superb across the board, I can single out the fine leading violins (and violas d’amore) of Bojan Čičić and Persephone Gibbs. I could not hear the theorbo or organ clearly enough and Cummings on the harpsichord as he conducts was also virtually inaudible. Cummings had judiciously placed Mulroy and Yandell at the front, Sampson and Charlston in mid-orchestra and Lyon and Brown at the back of the orchestra.
Although the work is in two parts, the break comes after only half an hour and I prefer performances which do not allow the audience to leave the hall, to enjoy (and – sadly – bring back in) their beer, wine and ice cream. It is enough that we don’t have to listen to a lengthy sermon.
Regardless of one’s religious beliefs, or lack of them, the piece strikes to the core and this fine performance of Bach’s St John Passion from the Academy of Ancient Music made its mark.
John Rhodes