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Seeing the light
It may not be what Bach intended, but ENO's St John Passion is a unique event.
The live lamb at the close is a mistake. Nothing wrong with the image - borrowed from Zurbarán's Agnus Dei - but the little beast's pitiful bleating provoked laughter when most of us were sitting awe-struck by Bach's grief-laden music and Deborah Warner's otherwise scrupulously reverential staging of...
Just three elements make the new show worth catching: an intensely moving portrayal by Mark Padmore as the Evangelist, finely structured conducting from Stephen Layton, and, in the final moments of the performance, one of the most exquisite moments of kitsch to be seen in a British opera house for a long time.
Andrew Clements
Throughout the disc, Graham Johnson's accompaniments are typically illuminating with numerous touches of detail glossed over by many pianists. And, as ever, his vastly comprehensive notes, amounting to no less than a book, are in a class of their own.
Throughout this year and through 10 concerts and lectures and a most readworthy book, the unique project Er Viborg Stift will draw a picture of how we became the people, the society and the church we are today. The concert part presents several "highs". The two with Polyphony were alpine peaks. The programme was formed as a musical church service. Stephen Layton had selected the works from the...
This disc is a must for any serious Schubert collector, its pleasures enhanced by Graham Johnson's observant accompaniments and his copious notes, dazzling as ever in their erudition, wit and range of illusion.
A feast of finely wrought, intelligent interpretations… the readings make an indelible impression.