Special offer. Bach, J S: St Matthew Passion, BWV244
Ex Cathedra Choir & Baroque Orchestra, Jeffrey Skidmore
The Ex Cathedra performance is superb. Jeremy Budd is an unaffected narrator of the Evangelist's story; Natalie Clifton-Griffith's 'Break in grief' is heart-rending; Mark Chamber' 'Have mercy,...
Special offer. Bach, J S: St Matthew Passion, BWV244
Ex Cathedra Choir & Baroque Orchestra, Jeffrey Skidmore
Purchase product
The Ex Cathedra performance is superb. Jeremy Budd is an unaffected narrator of the Evangelist's story; Natalie Clifton-Griffith's 'Break in grief' is heart-rending; Mark Chamber' 'Have mercy,...
About
“Jeffrey Skidmore knows this shattering music intimately, and he imparts his love of it so well to his performing forces. Here Ex Cathedra was joined by its Baroque Orchestra boasting an impressive array of names, and it was scintillating to relish here the variety of oboes responding to Bach’s detailed demands, the rasping double-basses, and a viola da gamba which delivered the usually purgatorial solos for this instrument without any penitential grittiness”. (Birmingham Post/Christopher Morley)
“The best choir of its kind in Britain? Very possibly…” (Michael White)
For their first release on Orchid Classics, Ex Cathedra present a brand new recording of the St. Matthew Passion, recorded live in Symphony Hall, Birmingham on Good Friday 2009.
Sung in English using a totally new translation of the original German text, and performed with the Ex Cathedra Baroque Orchestra, this is a unique combination. Fitting onto two very well filled discs with a 32 page booklet with full texts and at a very competitive price.
From its home in Birmingham, Ex Cathedra has established an international reputation as a leading UK choir and Early Music ensemble. Under founder and Artistic Director Jeffrey Skidmore, Ex Cathedra is known for its vibrant performances and a passion for seeking out not only the best but the unfamiliar and the unexpected in the choral repertoire.
Ex Cathedra celebrate their 40th Anniversary in 2009 and this will be highlighted in articles about them and interviews with Jeffrey Skidmore, in the music press.
Contents and tracklist
- Grace Davidson, Mark Chambers, Jeremy Budd, Eamonn Dougan, Greg Skidmore, Natalie Clifton-Griffith, Matthew Venner, Christopher Watson, James Birchall
- Ex Cathedra Choir, Ex Cathedra Baroque Orchestra
- Jeffrey Skidmore
Awards and reviews
December 2009
The Ex Cathedra performance is superb. Jeremy Budd is an unaffected narrator of the Evangelist's story; Natalie Clifton-Griffith's 'Break in grief' is heart-rending; Mark Chamber' 'Have mercy, Lord' deeply moving and, as choral singers, all the aria soloists are free of overly-distinctive vocal affectations.
Early Music Review
The choir ... seems to have their music in their blood
December 2009
Skidmore's overall shaping of the St Matthew… is marked by exceptional judgement in nurturing his forces, a compelling corporate élan channeled through the warm-toned Ex Cathedra and a largely alert orchestra. The chorales and choral interpolations are responsively delivered with deft voicing and attention to textural detail. "M saviour Jesus now is changed" (no 27) is brilliantly placed, and highlights the transcendent nature of this great movement. If words are occasionally muffled, the coherence and rich colouring of "O World, your sinful ways lament" (No 29) and the final chorus confirm the quality of Ex Cathedra's distinguished involvement.
If you're in the market for an English version of St Matthew Passion, this is warnly recommended ... I found Ex Cathedra's alert performance a persuasive listen
Birmingham Post
The Ex Cathedra Baroque Orchestra plays with style and clarity, sprung from a light bass-line, and it is particularly gratifying to have the viola da gamba obbligati delivered with such verve and panache by Richard Campbell: a far cry from the purgatorial interminabilities of these movements in decades long gone
