Except for the decidedly unportentous, dancing opening chorus (as opposed to Klemperer’s monumental rendition or Herreweghe’s more effectual balance of weight, texture, and tempo), this is a thoughtful, satisfyingly dramatic modern-instrument St. Matthew, with Peter Schreier a solid Evangelist (and conductor), accompanied by a good contingent of soloists and a responsive orchestra and first-rate choruses. Lucia Popp would not be my choice for the soprano arias; her vibrato renders her pitch uncertain, and her upper-register tone tends toward screechiness. But overall, the many components necessary to bring this great masterpiece successfully together are properly in place and are delivered with authority and sensitivity to both the more meditative sections and the more theatrical moments.
There are some odd balances–the duet with chorus “So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen”, for example–and the chorus acoustic sounds unnaturally confined; but this reissue, originally recorded in 1984 in the early digital days, is sonically identical to that first CD release and remains a respectable document of that recording era and of the interpretive ideas prevalent in the period just before the historical performance movement made its profound impact. [3/20/2007]
