The Köln Recording - Bach's St. John Passion
My first recording of the St. John Passion, BWV 245, was by Maasaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan. It became my reference recording simply becahse I lived with that one recording for so long. When I saw this new recording I was very curious about what Suzuki would say so many years later.
For me the opening movement, Herr, unser Herrscher is one hell of an opening, ripe for drama, with those suspensions with the oboes and the interjecting vocal parts. The original Suzuki is restrained in comparison; this version not only sounds better, sonically, but I admire the Gardinerization that's been applied, without going out overboard, as I believe Gardiner too many times has. All said, there's more gravitas, a little more definition in the phrasing, and far more dymanic contrast.
Another favorite part of this work is the aria Von den Stricken meiner Sünden, performed here by Damien Guillon, countertenor. His voice is quite the contrast to the basso continuo and those menacing oboes. I have heard Guillon in other performances and liked his sound, but here he might be a little thin compared to the aesthetic Suzuki is taking with the instrumentalists.
James Gilchrist projects far more power and authority with his voice. The aria Es ist vollbracht, which leads with viola da gamba, is a far kinder atompshere for Guillon, although I could have liked to have heard the aria performed just a hair faster.
The style of Hana Blaziková's voice works well, she uses vibrato sparingly and while the instruments can cover her in her lower register, the reach for higher notes is an amazingly satisfying experience as she cuts through that texture.
In the aria Eilt, ihr angeforchtnen Seelen, Christian Immler is an able companion to the chorus and Suzuki's fiesty band.
In total, this recording for me surpasses the former; in fact, it has moved into first place as my favorite. Worth a mention is the story included in the liner notes, of how the recording came about. Bach Collegium were scheduled for a concert as COVID-19 was closing down Europe and instead of a live concert, they made haste to make a recording while in Cologne. They scrambled to make it a reality, unsure of when or how they'd get home; the authorities came in shut them down, citing concerns about public health safety.
Their ability to finish the project was granted, kindly, when it turned out the police officer on site was a fan of the BCJ.
