8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Outstanding Alternative St. Matthew Passion, May 30, 2001
This review is from: Bach: Mendelssohn 1841 Leipzig Matthäus-Passion (Audio CD)
For those with an open mind about Bach and a love of the St. Matthew Passion comes a must-own version of Mendelssohn's 1841 version...a version with a difference, to put it mildly. To meet the requirements of his time (and audience) Mendelssohn made substantial, but well-judged, cuts of both arias and recitatives that lowers the performance time to just under 2 hours 15 minutes. And while there is an certain amount of re-orchestration, it is discreet and definately in furtherance of the storyline, with both drama and intimacy heightened at the appropriate points in the Passion. But enough about all that...if you're anything other than a fanatical purist, none of this will bother you once you actually hear this performance.
Of the 13 versions of the St. Matthew Passion I own, this is by far the best engineered and recorded. The sound is simply stunning...rich, full-bodied and yet detailed and absolutely crystal-clear. Beyond that, this may be the best sung St. Matthew Passion I have ever heard. Each of the soloists is outstanding (which, given the quality of the sound, is fortunate). The choral work is not quite up to the standard of the soloist, but it too is quite good. Christoph Spering keeps things moving along quite well, and the instrumental playing is excellent.
If you love this Passion, do NOT pass this version by.
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