When Mendelssohn conducted Bach's St Matthew Passion at the Berlin Singakademie in March 1829 the public was greatly impressed by the event. One of those present was the philosopher Hegel who remarked upon Bach's ''grand, truly Protestant, robust and, so to speak, erudite genius which we have only recently learned again to appreciate at its full value''. Mendelssohn's experiment was so successful that 12 years later, in 1841, he performed what Bach's descendants called ''the great Passion'' once more, this time in the church where it had first been heard over a century earlier, St Thomas's, Leipzig. It is the content of this later performance which is followed here and we can be fairly certain of that since Mendelssohn's score choral and orchestral parts are preserved in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. For the St Thomas's performance Mendelssohn made several important changes from the earlier one in Berlin. No less than four arias were reinstated, as well as one of the many chorales, but by far the most striking change of heart concerned the narrative element of the Passion. In Berlin, Mendelssohn accompanied the recitativo semplice on the piano but for Leipzig the piano was abandoned in favour of two cellos and a double bass. There are many other expedient changes and adjustments, too, notable among which is the use of clarinets instead of the two larger members of the oboe family; but for the listener of today Mendelssohn's treatment, indeed concept of recitative in the Passion is likely to be the single most arresting feature.
The director of this new recording, Christoph Spering, has done a pretty convincing job in bringing Mendelssohn's concept to life once more; and he is well served by an excellent solo team. Wilfried Jochens is a fine Evangelist, warmly supported by his lower string accompaniment. There are strong contributions, too, from Peter Lika, Angela Kazimierozuk and Alison Browner. But she, I am sure, will not have been best pleased to have her great, lyrical aria ''Erbarme dich'' wrested from her and given to the soprano. But that is what Mendelssohn did and so it is done here, trans-positions and all. Spering has thought about the instruments, too, and for this recording uses period stringed instruments strung with gut but using types of bow in current use at the time.
There is of course much, much more to say about these fascinating issues but the booklet contains a quite detailed and readable essay outlining the background and approach. Meanwhile, I urge readers interested in the evolution of styles and ideas and, of course all Bach enthusiasts, to acquire these discs and form their own opinions. The solo singing alone merits praise but there are other features, too, which are skilfully realized. I very much doubt that the release will change the current direction of baroque performance practice!'