This recording has been a classic for more than 40 years and remains one, all the way through the eras of HIP, anti-HIP, HIP with alterations, etc. Yes, it runs to 3 hours and 17 minutes, far longer than some by the Herreweghe/Harnoncourt crowd, but it is almost 30 minutes shorter than Klemperer’s, which was recorded four years later. Furthermore, Richter’s chorus and orchestra, though hardly period-sized, are far smaller than was popular at the time, and his continuo section occasionally makes pithy additions to the score. The important thing is the clarity/weight ratio, and unless you are a HIP purist—and if you are, you’re missing many fine, older performances and should be ashamed on several levels—you will find something simply “right” about this performance. The story unfolds with great drama; if Richter occasionally leans on the final phrases or Romanticizes the string playing, it is for emphasis: this is a deeply felt performance.
Ernst Haefliger is a fine, expressive Evangelist and sings his arias with fresh tone and an eye for drama, and Keith Engen’s Jesus also deserves great praise. HIP practice tends to give the part to a lightish voice; Engen’s dark tone and strong bottom notes are most welcome. Irmgard Seefried’s lovely, refreshing tone and dead-center pitch make each of her arias an event, and if Hertha Töpper’s alto is not up to some of the competition, well, it never really was. She sings well, but she can’t touch some other singers for pathos (Janet Baker comes to mind, and I’ll keep countertenors out of this discussion). Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau’s warm, pliant baritone is at its freshest here, with few exaggerations, and he is a wonderful storyteller. The choruses are superb—the boys’ choirs contrasting nicely (and always audible) with the adults—and the instrumentalists play handsomely. This is a St. Matthew of great stature and belongs alongside one’s favorite, newer-attitude performance, such as Herreweghe’s or Gardiner’s.
