When stereo technology finally broke through in 1958, this immediately resulted in two legendary performances of Bach's St Matthew Passion: the one conducted by Fritz Werner (Erato) and the current performance by Karl Richter (DGG). No performance of the Matthäus is perfect, but both versions mentioned have such moments that make the whole seem more than the sum of its parts. One such moment in
… the present performance is, for example, the breathtaking crescendo and decrescendo of the choir Wahrlich, dieser ist Gottes Sohn gewesen. The arioso Am Abend, da es kühle war (sung by a still young Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau) is so unimaginably accurate in terms of text coloring and expression that the subsequent aria (Mache dich, mein Herze, rein) ironically bit disappointing. The contribution of soprano Irmgard Seefried and tenor / evangelist Ernst Haefliger also contributes to the high status of this classic. (HJ)more
