Matthew Passion / Gustav Leonhardt
There is no other recording of the “Matthew Passion” that is historical in the strict sense of the word. The boy’s soprano is a very fragile thing. After a few years of performing, his voice changes and he goes back to heaven. It is the voice of an angel. The soprano solo of the Tölzer Boys’ Choir is wonderful here. Regrettably, a counter-tenor is used for the alto solo. If possible, I would have liked to have had a boy sing this as well. In this sense, I think Telefunken’s complete cantatas of this period were a rare project from a historical point of view.
P.S. In the summer of 2020, I received happy news. For the first time in a long time, a new historical recording of Matthew has been released, performed by Academia Jacobus Stainer conducted by Johannes Stecher and the “Wiltener Sängerknaben”, Innsbruck’s boys’ choir. The soprano solo is sung by a member of the boys’ choir, and the tenor and bass solos are sung by choir alumni. The use of organ and theorbo for basso continuo is also quite good. This must be an accomplishment comparable to the Leonhardt disc. #baroque #bach #片山俊幸
