Reviewed by John Irvine

By the 13th century, the Gospel accounts of the Passion were being performed by several voices, with the lead parts being given to soloists; by the 16th century polyphony and drama had become common place. The Lutheran Church took over several types of sung passion. The form used by Bach was that of the oratorio as developed in North Germany in the middle of the 17th century. In this style, the biblical text is interrupted by meditative episodes, occasional instrumental passages and newly harmonised chorales. Bach took an existing form of musical expression and turned it into an art form. The St Johns Passion was first performed in Easter 1724. but was considered too theatrical by the church authorities of the time and was only performed in 1724 and in a revised version in 1725. Wary of criticism. Bach toned down the "theatrical" elements in the later, and more popular. St Matthew Passion. As is becoming increasingly common in performances of baroque music; original instruments or modern copies arc used throughout this recording in preference to modern equivalents - the difference is easy to hear with a Viola de Gambia supplementing the cellos, for example. Also the minimum numbers of singers and players are used to provide the performance with clarity and vitality. While to some ears the resulting recording may sound a little "thin", to my ears this approach is very sound and carried off magnificently. This concern to marry the instrumental sounds and standards of Bach's day with contemporary expectations is continued in the choice of soloists with a male counter tenor used in preference to a female alto. The upshot of this is that although Naxos produce very cheap CDs - roughly £5 per disc - the sound is as expansive and the performance as professional as you might expect from a recording on a premium rate label. A very good performance.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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