http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/09/arts/music/Berlin-Philharmonic-Park-Avenue-Armory-St-Matthew-Passion.html 2014-10-08 12:30:39 Berlin Philharmonic Performs 'St. Matthew Passion' at the Park Avenue Armory The Berlin Philharmonic’s performance of “St. Matthew Passion,” conducted by Simon Rattle, showed why Bach chose other ways besides opera to tell stories through music. === Why was Bach, a composer of such powerful dramatic instincts, never drawn to opera? We really don’t know. Yet the Berlin Philharmonic’s magnificent performance of the “St. Matthew Passion” on Tuesday night at This performance essentially recreated the acclaimed semistaged “St. Matthew Passion” that Mr. Rattle presented in 2010 at the Philharmonie, the orchestra’s home hall. It was directed by Peter Sellars, who, in a note for the Armory’s performance, explained that Bach wrote his “St. Matthew Passion” not as a concert work or a theater piece, but as a “transformative ritual reaching across time and space.” In other words, the long, daunting passion is a ritualized form of participatory theater. Bach wrenches you out of your comfort zone as an audience member and pulls you into this story of faith and doubt, trust and betrayal, community and mob chaos. All of these qualities came through in the searing, sublime performance on Tuesday, the first of two, bringing to an end a miniresidency in New York for the Berlin Philharmonic, which had already played four This “St. Matthew Passion,” an ambitious offering of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival, was presented within the vast space of the armory’s Drill Hall on a stage of intersecting wood platforms specially designed to mimic the The only props on stage were a few wooden boxes, including a long rectangular one that later served as a table for the Last Supper, a tomb for Jesus and more. Even as the audience was walking in, the superb tenor Mr. Rattle, following precedent, divided the orchestra into two groups on opposite sides of the stage, as well as the chorus, whose members performed from memory and were dressed, like the orchestra players, in plain black slacks and shirts. ( The theological message of the passion was made real and immediate in this performance: Jesus gave his life for us, his followers believe, he takes on our sins, carries the cross, leaves us in awe-struck devotion, but wracked with guilt. How did this happen? What was our role? This spiritual question pervades Bach’s passion and usually comes through in a good performance. But this one clobbered you with it. During that first chorus, the boy choristers stood in a row overlooking the stage as they sang the phrases of the gentle chorale tune that arise from the complex choral writing and instrumental busyness. That they seemed fidgety enhanced the sweetness of their singing. Before long, they were bustling around the hall to sing in other areas. When Mr. Padmore began the narrative, taken from the Gospel of Matthew, he sang with penetrating sound and ethereal beauty, though pain was mixed into the purity of his voice. As he told the story, he often assumed the persona of Jesus. The actual Jesus was the baritone The mezzo-soprano The bass-baritone At the end, in the great final chorus, the singers say they will sit down in tears and call to Jesus in the tomb. Mr. Sellars takes that image literally. The choristers sat on the stage, then slowly got up and gathered around the tomb until they were huddled together. When the music stopped, the choristers faced out, almost glaring, as if daring the audience. There was silence in the hall for quite a while, until the house lights dimmed and an enormous ovation began. But, think of all the work, expense and construction for just two festival performances. This “St. Matthew Passion” could have run for two weeks.