U. does St. Matthew Passion like a pro

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Apr 10, 2007 | by Edward Reichel Deseret Morning News

ST. MATTHEW PASSION, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH SINGERS, A CAPPELLA CHOIR, Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah, Saturday

Some 280 years after its first performance, J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion has lost none of its emotional impact. The beauty of the music and the effective manner in which the story is told affects listeners today as it undoubtedly did when it was first presented in Leipzig's Thomaskirche on Good Friday in 1727.

Brady Allred brought the St. Matthew Passion to Salt Lake City last weekend in a good English translation, and in a somewhat abbreviated form. His University of Utah Singers and A Cappella Choir, along with the soloists, gave a deeply felt and stirring performance in Libby Gardner Concert Hall that captured the emotions and poignancy of the work forcefully.

Joining the choral forces was an orchestra assembled for these performances consisting of members of the Utah Philharmonia and the Salt Lake Symphony, U. faculty members and local freelance musicians. They played wonderfully, with clean phrases, resonant articulation and rich expressiveness.

The two performances over the weekend were ostensibly the first at the U. of the St. Matthew Passion by student-choral groups. The work certainly taxes the limits of student singers, but both choral ensembles and the vocal soloists sang with such conviction and sincerity that it belied the fact that they indeed were students and not professional singers. The quality of Saturday's performance was polished and eloquent.

Allred comes to the U. after years with the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh as its music director, where he conducted the St. Matthew Passion for the first time. He is a remarkable choral conductor who brought to these performances at the U. his insight and intimate knowledge of the score.

There was a seamless flow to Saturday's performance. Allred brought a vibrant sense of rhythm to the music and some excellent tempo choices. From the opening plaintive chorus ("Come, ye daughters") to the resplendent closing choral number ("We bow our heads in tears and sorrow") 2 1/2 hours later, the work coalesced into a cohesive unit that was brimming with wondrous poignancy and marvelous expressiveness.

Among the many soloists, several were prominent:

-- Tenor Anthony T. Buck, as the Evangelist, sang compellingly. It's a huge role with a high tessitura, and Buck showed himself to be up to the task, giving a lyrically infused performance that only improved as the evening progressed.

-- Baritone David Power, faculty member at the U., sang the role of Jesus. His warm, expressive voice was well-suited to the part, and he gave an emotionally charged performance.

-- Soprano Cait Clawson, altos Emily Burton and Sarah Maughan, and bass Taylor Layton were also wonderful. Clawson and Burton were splendid in the duet "Behold, my Savior now is taken," while Maughan was stunning in each of her arias.

-- Layton, whose voice is wonderfully lyrical, gave a first-rate performance in particular of "O Give Me Back My Savior."

Among the musicians in the orchestra, violinists Elizabeth Palmer and Katie Jensen, flutist Susan Goodfellow and oboist Robin Vorkink played their obbligato solos magnificently.

E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com