Bach St. John Passion at Somerville College: Instruments of Time and Truth

The biennial performance of Bach's St. John Passion by the choir of Somerville College is a worthy tradition.

The student singers teamed up with the professionals of Baroque orchestra Instruments of Time and Truth [https://www.timeandtruth.co.uk/] to give a very moving performance yesterday, under well-known conductor Will Dawes.

The rôle of the evangelist was sung outstandingly well by Somerville alumnus Mattis Heyne (tenor), with that of Pilate being taken by Ben Giblin and Christ by Edwin Hughes, both very ably. Among those who sang shorter solo arias, soprano Stephanie Garrett really shone, as did Yueshi Yang (alto). My only suggestion would be for the choir to vary their dynamics a bit more, as some softer and more muted sounds can be expressive at certain points.

The Chapel has excellent acoustics and makes an ideal venue for music on this scale. The reception afterwards is a pleasantly sociable end to the evening. Long may this excellent tradition flourish.

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