A high-voltage 'St. Matthew Passion'

The RIAS Kammerchor Berlin opened the Bach Passion series on Wednesday with a Passion according to Saint Matthew high-voltage in a packed Palau de la Música. Accompanied by the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the version conducted by Englishman Justin Doyle was far removed from the typical British phlegm and emphasized the dramaturgy, contrasting the enraged energy of the crowds with the warmth of the more introspective passages. The speech sounded perfectly coherent, and the tension increased in each scene, from the thirty pieces of silver, to Peter's rejection, the unleashed mob, Pilate's washing of his hands, and the subsequent crucifixion and death of Christ.

The work evolved thanks to Doyle's fingers, with which he indicated changes in rhythm or dynamics, at a slow pace, even in the recitatives, but that did not prevent him from relishing the full intensity of a drama full of eloquence and highlighting the details in an almost obscure way.

The Berlin heart impressed with the homogeneity and balance of their voices, displaying rounded sonorities and great dramatic plasticity, and endowing the chorales with the true collective expression that Bach imprints on them, elegantly shaping the interpretation of each verse, from the exasperation of the essence of the elegant, from the ex. The Akademie für Alte Musik from Berlin sounded no less excellent. In addition to the two concertmasters, one of whom broke a string, some excellent, captivating flutes and oboes stood out, and above all, a basso continuo of granite-like solidity.

The team of soloists was more uneven. Patrick Grahl's Evangelist was grandiose and exquisite, expressive and full of vocal and interpretive nuances, just as excellent was Jesus on bass Matthew Brook. With a velvety voice, mezzo Anna Lucia Richter delved into the contralto register with deep, dark bass notes – wonderful in the famous Erbarme said, mein Gott– and bass Stephan Loges surpassed with flying colors the fact of singing in the dark due to various power outages, and made us dream in Komm, Swiss Cross accompanied by a wonderful viola da gamba. The warm and lyrical voice of tenor Thomas Hobbs contrasted with the metallic, sharp timbre of soprano Elisabeth Breuer, who wasn't having the best of times.