United Kingdom PROM 40 – Bach, St. John Ardour: Benjamin Bruns (tenor – Evangelist), Alexander Likelihood (countertenor), Christian Immler (bass – Jesus), Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Shimon Yoshida (tenor), Yusuke Watanabe (bass – Pilate), Bach Collegium Japan / Masaaki Suzuki (conductor), Royal Albert Corridor, London, 19.8.2024 (JR)
One would hardly select the acoustics of the cavernous Royal Albert Corridor for a Bach Ardour. It was written to be carried out as a part of a church service, every Half both facet of the sermon. After all, a BBC Promenade brings the work to the biggest potential viewers, each within the corridor and on Radio 3. Masaaki Suzuki’s final try and deliver the work to London was quite thwarted by COVID-19, so one can’t deny him the prospect to return, even when the corridor does the work no favours.
Having mentioned that, the soloists had been all loud and clear, the refrain incisive; I wanted for extra quantity from the instrumentalists. I might need been shocked listening to this efficiency in a church, and even the Queen Elizabeth Corridor, but it surely nearly handed me by within the Royal Albert Corridor.
The refrain (17 of them plus the soloists who typically joined in) is predominantly however not completely made up of Japanese nationals, and no reward might be excessive sufficient for his or her crisp German diction, phrasing and a spotlight to Suzuki’s each command. They’re primarily younger singers – which gave them a freshness, significantly as there have been two male altos. The ‘turba’ sections had been all the time incisive, the various difficult ‘Wohin?’ interjections spot on. I used to be a lot taken by their assault in ‘Wäre dieser nicht ein Übeltäter’, ‘wir dürfen niemand töten’ and the rhythmic ‘Lasset uns den nicht zerteilen’; their warmly blended ensemble within the chorales ‘Petrus, der nicht denkt zurück’, their tenderness in ‘Durch dein Gefängnis, Gottes Sohn’ and, lastly, the heart-rending ‘Ruht wohl’ had been most fantastically sung. The basses had been nearly the most effective of the bunch, their ‘Wir haben ein Gesetz’ actually struck house.
Benjamin Bruns because the Evangelist was clear all through although oddly uninvolving. I warmed extra to Christian Immler’s sonorous Jesus, although the very lowest notes had been a wrestle. Alexander Likelihood, the countertenor, was faultless, most affecting in ‘Es ist vollbracht’.
I used to be much less taken by the younger tenor, Shimon Yoshida, based mostly in Germany: he appeared quite overwhelmed by the event and his lyric tenor too weak with not fairly sufficient richness for the dimensions of the corridor. Carolyn Sampson was the vocal star of the present; all the time engaged and interesting, her first aria ‘Ich folge dir gleichfalls’ was glittering. Yusuke Watanabe impressed along with his darkish bass within the a part of Pontius Pilate.
Suzuki’s orchestra gelled completely; the strings may have accomplished with extra energy, or most likely simply higher numbers. Robert Franenberg (double bass) labored tirelessly all through, and French cellist Emmanuel Balssa (principal cello) stood out. Attention-grabbing to notice that Suzuki’s son Masato was the harpsichordist; a pity he was typically considerably inaudible.
This was, nevertheless, predominantly Suzuki’s night. He says that, even after so many performances, it’s a work of limitless fascination, as revelatory at this time because it was when first unveiled precisely 300 years in the past. Suzuki stored the work flowing with quick tempi and unerring accuracy, so it by no means dragged. Different interpreters might need made it extra gripping, however this was a extremely distinguished efficiency. I simply wished I may have transported the efficiency right into a extra intimate venue.
John Rhodes
