ST GILES’ CATHEDRAL and the City of Edinburgh are celebrating their 900th anniversaries; and 900 Voices is a random selection of observations and memories of locals with respect to St Giles’ and the city in general. They have been recorded and are broadcast with new material every 20 minutes. The event aims to bring the social context and humanity of both church and city into focus.
Sadly, the delivery is flawed. Each broadcast is sampled from the entire database, which means that the broadcasts are somewhat disjointed strands, heard simultaneously through multiple speakers.
The sound is defined. It may be inspired by the Tower of Babel. It is, however, reminiscent of being in a mainline railway station. I attended on the first evening of the event: both issues can, I hope, be resolved. It runs until 22 August.
THE opening concert consisted of two performances over two consecutive days. Both were choral interpretations of Passions from St Mark and St Matthew.
The Mark came in the form of Osvaldo Golijov’s La Pasión según San Marcos. It was commissioned for the Passion 2000 project in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the death of J. S. Bach. It is highly acclaimed and has received many performances; Edinburgh hosted the Scottish première.
Joana Carneiro conducted the Orquesta La Pasión with the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela. They were joined by members of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) and the National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCOS).
© Andrew PerryPerformers, including the Capoeira dancer Mestre Poncianinho, in Osvaldo Golijov’s La Pasión según San Marcos
From the outset, this performance was engaging, dynamic, and full of unforced vitality. It was visually arresting and punctuated by assorted drums and beguiling percussion instruments. Originally, the joint choirs were divided into three sections: left, centre, and right. The sonic spread was very effective. For the rest of the performance, they were in one block.
The solo performers came to the front of the stage to sing their character parts and this they did with characteristic South American bravado.
The members of NYCOS had been well-schooled in movement. They leaned their shoulders in, one and then the other, and swayed as they sang. Touches like this gave the performance a visual sense of movement.
At the front left-hand side of the stage, an empty space was used at key dramatical moments for dramaturgical highlights to the fast-moving and highly rhythmic composition.
The orchestration was itself a constant delight, with specific effects matching vocal interpretations. Certain instruments, such as piano and accordion, added colour, bite, and texture.
All in all this was a cohesive community performance that swept me along in awe and admiration. Superb!
© Andrew PerryPerformers, including the Capoeira dancer Mestre Poncianinho, in Osvaldo Golijov’s La Pasión según San Marcos
The second performance was of Bach’s St Matthew Passion. It was given in an edition by Mendelssohn. It was performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, and fine soloists, conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth.
This sounded very strange to my ears: especially as a fortepiano provided the continuo. The chorus was heavy, and the balance of voices and orchestra was dense, but defined. This was a period performance of a certain type — one that has long been out of fashion. That was the raison d’être for this performance. Without Mendelssohn’s revival of Bach in the first half of the 19th century, Bach might have been lost to us.
Both of these performances form a record of how Bach has survived through the 19th and 20th centuries. His legacy seems set to continue for ever and ever, amen.
Full details of all performers can be found on the Edinburgh International Festival website.