Choral & Song

This recording of Bach’s St Matthew Passion was made in the chapel of King’s College Cambridge in April 2019, just a few months before the untimely death of its conductor and long-time director of music at King’s, Stephen Cleobury. The performance is very much a King’s affair in other respects, too, featuring the College’s celebrated choir as well as the Choir of King’s College School which provides the ripieno voices in the opening and closing pieces of Part I of the Passion. Furthermore, four of the soloists are former Cambridge choral scholars.

Cleobury steers an assured path between our traditional responses to the St Matthew Passionand one which reflects developing performing practices, vocal and instrumental, over the past half century. James Gilchrist is no stranger to the onerous role of Evangelist and here he gives us a fervent if, on occasion, slightly over-dramatic account of the story. His lightly articulated and subtly shaded declamation, though, is a constant pleasure. Matthew Rose’s Christus is resonant and authoritative even if, every now and again, his vocal projection sounds forced.