Bach Passion selon St Matthieu Güra Mields Lewandowska Potter Contaldo MacLeod

Cette Passion apaisée, d’une touché légère, en agacera plus d’un. C’est que Stephan MacLeod l’entend absolument du point de vue du chanteur, portant le texte clair, et illuminant tout, le chœur, le petit orchestre aux couleurs ambrées (la beauté des flûtes), le continuo vif et tendre serti autour du clavecin de Bertrand Cuiller. L’équipe de chant, fait de jeunesses déjà prestigieuses, est somptueuse, tout au service de cette vision qui transcende le drame par l’émotion, et dont la lyrique si singulière s’exprime dans l’incarnation sans soulignement de l’Evangéliste de Werner Güra qu’on peinera à reconnaitre comme le même ténor qui chez Jacobs montrait les clous plantés dans les mains du Christ. Ici tout est serein même la mort, même le sacrifice, tout rayonne, et c’est si singulier, si peu liturgie, si poétique qu’il faut bien des écoutes pour en saisir les nombreuses beautés. Mais vous qui entrerez ici abandonnez tout ce que vous croyez être la Saint Matthieu, entendez là comme un pur objet de musique détaché du drame et en cela plus émouvante encore. (Discophilia - Artalinna.com) (Jean-Charles Hoffelé)

This recording was made in April 2019 at the Ernest-Ansermet Studio in Geneva, after five concerts in Switzerland during the preceding days. The desire to be as faithful as possible to the rhythm of the drama of the Passion and to the evidence of the musical sequences, which is easier to feel during a live performance than in front of the relative abstraction of the microphones, as well as a non-negligible time constraint (three and a half days in the studio for a work of 160 minutes), pushed us to record long takes, sometimes including up to 10 or 12 minutes of music, thus getting as close as possible to the feeling of a concert. In concert, with small vocal groups, Gli Angeli Genève systematically places the singers in front of the instruments regardless of repertoire, so as to give speech in music the most prominent place possible. When recording, since the audience’s crucial role cannot be replaced by the microphones, we place ourselves in a large circle, all facing each other. We can see each other playing, singing, vibrating, breathing and reacting. The idea of reaction is central to this work where, when the action of the story is suspended, it is immediately replaced by emotion and poetic as well as musical beauty that Matthew’s story inspired in Bach and Picander. Airs as well as chorales. And within our circle we can react together, engage in dialogue, and see ourselves feel the drama and powerful affects that mark the work relentlessly. And then we can share the pleasure and sometimes the awe - so beautiful is the music – of being able to live all this together.