JS Bach Matthew Passion - Dunedin Consort - The Scotsman

I predicted in January that the Dunedin Consort's new recording of Bach's St Matthew Passion would be a highlight of 2008, and nothing in the finished article - out next week on the Linn label - has changed my mind. From the very opening, John Butt's direction is laced with an airiness and fluidity that gives grace and svelte intent to Bach's mammoth Easter oratorio. Based on the instrumentation and vocal scoring of Bach's last performance in Leipzig, the formula is not unlike Butt's previous recording success with Dunedin - Handel's Messiah - in that its energy and clarity feeds on the Consort's slender forces. Familiar voices take the lead roles, including tenor Nicholas Mulroy's wholesomely animated Evangelist and bass Matthew Brook's clean and earthy Jesus. The overall package is brilliantly proficient.