Knaben des Kölner Domchores - J.S. Bach - Matthäuspassion (2005)

When this recording of Bach's St. Matthew Passion was made in May 2005, Helmut Müller-Brühl had been leading the Cologne Chamber Orchestra for 41 years. He led them first on modern instruments from 1964 until 1976, then switched them to period instruments, then switched them back again to modern instruments in 1987. The result is not schizophrenic but rather a wonderful combination of the brilliant color and glowing warmth of modern instruments blended with the historically informed performance practices of period instruments. The same could well be said of Müller-Brühl's approach to Bach's sacred masterpiece. A trained philosopher and theologian as well as a musician, his St. Matthew Passion skillfully combines religious rigor with musical drama, creating a performance that is both a clear articulation of the text and an overwhelming narrative. His soloists are all fine musicians, but they are better at acting and best at enunciating the words clearly and expressively. The Dresden Chamber Choir and the Cologne Cathedral Boys' Choir are equally fine musicians and nearly as fine at enunciating the text. While not in the same class as the best of the great recordings of the past, Müller-Brühl's St. Matthew Passion is well worth hearing by anyone who loves the work, especially in Naxos' more immediate than usual sound.