On Saturday night, renowned choral conductor Stephen Layton led a scaled down Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, five soloists and a full MSO choir through a nuanced rendition of the last days of Christ.

From a quiet start, he led the strings and oboe through the hauntingly discordant opening to a gradual build up, culminating in an explosive “Herr!” (Lord) from an impassioned Chorus.

From its impactful opening, the Chorus made it clear it was not singing by numbers. Somehow Layton managed to instil in all the performers a profound sense of Bach’s faith, and this was reflected en masse in the choir and individually in each soloist.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus perform the St John Passion. Photo © Nico Keenan

Tenor Ruairi Bowen handled the narrating role of the Evangelist with the requisite emotion demanded by the text. He entered and departed the stage as the role required, adding a performative layer reinforced by facial expression and body language. This approach was evident in all the onstage performances, a deliberate artistic choice that imbued what was already highly charged text with a quietly dramatic delivery.

In this pared down production, both he and David Greco (Pilate) were called upon to perform multiple roles, crossing to different positions on the stage to denote a change of character. Both delivered moving, highly accomplished performances.

The stirring bass of Christopher Richardson’s Jesus infused his performance with the necessary gravitas. His solemn delivery and minimalist body language were well-suited to a central role that doesn’t lend itself to too much innovation.

Sydney alto Ashlyn Tymms’ return to Hamer Hall was heralded by the pensive interplay of two oboes and the delivery of a close-to-faultless introductory aria, followed by the soprano Sara Macliver, enticed onstage by a playful flute accompaniment to Ich folge dir gleichfalls mit freudigen Schritten ( I too follow you with joyful steps).

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Chorus perform the St John Passion. Photo © Nico Keenan

The smaller scale MSO was augmented by the inclusion of baroque instruments including viola di gamba and cor anglais. The orchestra’s performance was in no way diminished by its size relative to that of the choir. Rather than being overwhelmed, it complemented the sound of the massed voices. The clever staging, with flutes, oboes and cellos at the front, ensured that the orchestra was never overwhelmed by the choir.

Layton’s presence was an unassuming one as far as maestros go. Bach’s strong religious faith was reflected in the reverence with which Layton approached the music and its message, and his influence on the performers seemed to be a very grounding one. His profound knowledge of Bach’s St John Passion, combined with his ability to elicit fresh performances from both singers and musicians of this three-hundred-year-old work, produced a stirring, emotion-packed depiction of the days leading up to Christ’s crucifixion.

This was never more clear than during the minute’s silence imposed immediately after Tymms’s heartbreaking Es ist vollbracht (It is accomplished). The audience remained utterly still and silent until the maestro slowly raised his bowed head and the cello brought us back to life with the introductory notes of the upbeat aria My beloved Saviour, with its message of hope for mankind.

In contrast, Layton’s withholding of the signal to applaud at performance’s end to maintain a period of silence was overridden by the enthusiasm of a section of the audience. This doubt led initially to patchy and uncertain applause unreflective of the level of audience appreciation. A further minute’s silence would no doubt have elicited a fittingly enthusiastic reception to what was an exceptional performance.

It is said that the parishioners of St Nicholas Church in Leipzig left changed after witnessing the first performance of JS Bach’s St John Passion on Good Friday (7 April) 1724. Three hundred years later to the day, it’s safe to say the Melbourne audience left Hamer Hall if not changed, then at least very moved by this thought-provoking, rewarding rendition of the Passion.