U-turn
« Ignorance is bliss (for the moment) | Main |Wunderbar »
April 04, 2005
Bach's purity
The artistic director of the Netherlands Bach Society declared half a year ago that Bach St. Matthew's Passion in the future only was going to be performed by an extremely small ensemble and choir. Actually, the soloists are member of a group of eight singers and perform also choir members. This stirred an academic - and utterly boring - discussion.
I remember, years ago, a friend had me listen to a recording of the Matthew's Passion with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Willem Mengelberg. It sounded completely wacky and I had great fun listening to it.
Far more interesting than a Cromwell's approach by the Bach Society is the twist Cultural Sundays (Dutch) in the Dutch city of Utrecht created with the St. Matthew's Passion. A baroque orchestra and a VJ lured the audience to the pop temple Tivoli for a really creative and sincere approach to Bach's music.
It is recorded on video and you can watch it online.
Posted by Renske at 12:14 UTC | permanent link