Passiontide is the time of year when we’re spoilt for choice in performances of Bach’s great Passions – both St Matthew and St John. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment can traditionally be found at Smith Square Hall with the Polyphony choir, but this year in addition to offering the St John Passion there, they brought the Matthew to the Southbank Centre, where they are in residence.
Notwithstanding the lack of an ecclesiastical acoustic, the orchestra, under the direction of Jonathan Cohen, and with a fine team of soloists, delivered a performance that was both powerfully dramatic and spiritually intense. Cohen, who began his career as a cellist, brings an understanding of the work from the inside. As is standard today, his tempi are fleet, paying allegiance to Bach’s ubiquitous dance rhythms, while the drama is projected with minimal pauses, yet always alert to the emotional depths of the Passion story.
