Word: passione
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...room, one-telephone hunting lodge in the forest at Marly-le-Roi, near Versailles. But every August, for a real vacation, they go back to the rose-walled house in Muret, close by the swift-flowing Louge. This is the France which Vincent Auriol, with a Frenchman's passion for the soil, loves best...
...Passion According to St. Matthew" sets the Gospel to music with soloists and chorus taking different parts. This required skillful dramatic characterization, which the Chorus captured--whether it was the tenderness of compassion or the savagery of the angry mob. But in spite of the size of the chorus, inner voice parts were not sufficiently clear and contrapuntal until the second part...
...real glory, however, belongs to Mr. Munch--first, for his decision to perform the piece; and secondly, because he approached this complex work with an acute sense of its drama. That, in fact, is the keystone of all Passion music. Bach composed the music to follow the sense of the words closely, and has subtle devices for accomplishing this make a fascinating study, one which Mr. Munch evidently had made...
...that time forced Mr. Munch to cut some superb music, particularly since the arise and choruses left out make up much of the character of the "Matthew Passion." But he was quite right to keep the recitative intact, for the composer himself, when obliged to cut, did the same thing...
When Bach performed the "Passion," he had the congregation join in the chorales heartily. The accompaniment was full orchestra, fortissimo, and this is the way it should always be, even today. The way Mr. Munch did it, a cappells, pianissimo, was very effective but not historically accurate. Some modern audiences have shown willingness to join in the chorales, but perhaps the Friday afternoon patrons would...