Review of Bach: Johannespassion

Introduction

The Bach Collegium Japan (under the direction of Masaaki Suzuki) has apparently acquired a formidable reputation for their performances of Johann Sebastian Bach`s Church Cantatas since their formation. Their reputation has grown to the extent that they were asked to participate in a 24 Hour Bach Festival which was staged to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Bach`s death. They performed St. John Passion and that performance has been released on TDK DVD.

Video

Video is presented as 16:9 Anamorphic widescreen and from a technical perspective looks very good. It isn`t quite as detailed as the previous TDK disk I reviewed (Musical Offering) but, on the plus side, is more interesting to look at. Gone is the serious quarter in a small church and, in its place, we have a full orchestra playing in a concert hall.

OK, so over 2 hours it does tend to get a bit samey but that`s no different to the genuine concert experience which this does a good job of recreating.

Audio

The audio is also good - although not as good as previous TDK disks. Again, you get the choice of PCM, DD 5.0 or DTS 5.0 and there is little to choose between them. The performance is decently presented on all three versions with the DTS version being the one I preferred. However, the sound does not capture the ambience of the live experience as well as Musical Offering and, overall, sounds a bit restricted. There is little action in the rears and you end up with little more than a decent stereo mix.

The piece in question - St. John Passion - is one of Bach`s finest choral works and, while I have never been a fan of choral music, sounded pretty good to me conveying an appropriate level of spirituality. It isn`t a piece I would revisit often but I`ll probably pull it out again at Easter when the content will be more appropriate for the time. (I listened to it at Christmas when I really should have been listening to my Phil Spector Christmas CD.)

Features

The only extra is a short (4 minute) interview with the conductor Masaaki Suzuki which is fine as far as it goes but too short to provide any real insight into the piece or the performance.

Conclusion

Not being a Bach Fan, it is hard to rate this DVD. If you enjoy Bach, then this is certainly worth trying. If not, then it probably isn`t for you.