It is hard to know where to start in commenting on last Saturday’s performance of Bach’s St John Passion.  It is a work unlike anything the Choir has attempted in recent years, and yet we succeeded in giving a performance which was more than creditable.  It was stunning.  This view is not just from within the Choir.  Audience members were thrilled by the music and the standard of the performance.  It was indeed a night to remember.

So many things came together to make for such a memorable evening.  Richard Butler was incomparable in the role of the Evangelist, ably supported by the continuo duo of Thomas Wilson and Michal Wieczorek.  Richard’s variety of tone and range of expression was key to our full experience of this gut-wrenching narrative. His singing was powerful and compelling.  Yet he sang almost sotto voce at key moments, holding the audience in the palm of his hand.  You could have heard a pin drop.

Alexander Knight managed to combine Jesus’ earthly agony and heavenly serenity very effectively, while Greg McCreanor’s Pilate sounded just like a compromised politician.

The other soloists, Maia Andrews, Nyssa Milligan and Joshua Oxley, sang their reflective arias with presence and sensitivity, an exact foil for the drama of the storyline.

Then there was the Choir – sometimes a baying crowd, sometimes a group of Roman soldiers, sometimes dispassionate onlookers.  After the spirals of the orchestral introduction, the first three chords, “Lord! Lord! Lord!” resonated round the Chapel in an indication that we knew what we were doing.  The first narrative section went together well, Evangelist and Choir moving the story ahead in a compelling manner.  From there the Choir seemed to grow in confidence and ability, singing the final chorus with a great deal of sensitivity, and the final Chorale as though the end of the world were nigh.

Alexandra Loukianova led the orchestra through this minefield of music with controlled flair, knowing exactly when to accompany and when to lead.  There was some delightful playing in the ensembles which accompanied the arias, none more so than in the Tenor Aria, “Behold Him”, with two violins and cello.

How did all this happen?  It is all the work of one man, our Conductor, Carlos Alvarado.  He had to rehearse all the musical components individually, and then meld them together into a coherent whole in just two final rehearsals.  The result speaks for itself.  From the point of view of a member of the Choir, it is clear that Carlos regards this music with the highest degree of respect.  He never let us forget what we were singing about, insisting on accuracy and expressiveness right from the first rehearsal.

This performance is a highlight of the Choir’s recent history and will be remembered long after others are forgotten.  We owe a huge debt to our soloists, particularly to Richard Butler, and to the orchestra, for their invaluable contribution.  But most of all we should reflect that it is indeed possible for a community choir, led by the right person, to do justice to some of the greatest music the world has ever heard.