KEY POINTS:
Even in an ideal performance, the St Luke Passion attributed to Bach is a deeply flawed work.
Mendelssohn was the first to suspect its authenticity and, if indeed it was by Bach, it is not in the same league as the composer's St Matthew Passion and St John Passion, being marred by too many examples of sheer musical awkwardness.
What power this score has arises from its simplicity, its measured sequence of recitative and chorale, with ornate arias kept to an absolute minimum.
The focus is on the inevitability of the narrative provided by the recitatives of the Evangelist and the doomed Christ.
Bach Musica's Auckland premiere of the work pitted tenor John Murray against German bass Hans-Georg Wimmer in these roles.
Making allowances for the sometimes unsympathetic writing of the recitatives (a particularly awkward exchange between the Evangelist and Pontius Pilate was just one example), Murray contributed a strong presence as the Evangelist, especially when writing in the lower register allowed him to draw on his dramatic talents.
Wimmer, an experienced Bach singer on the European circuit, was an impressive Christ.
The lowest notes were restrained but perfectly audible, the phrasing was immaculate.
The Bach Musica singers were most accomplished in the many chorales.
While these don't benefit from the harmonic subtleties of those in Bach's other Passions, conductor Rita Pacsian ensured that each made its particular impact.
Less happy were some of the livelier choruses, in particular "Er hat das Volk erregt damit".
Pacsian attended to the orchestral component of the concert with her usual thoroughness. Oboes and flutes had many opportunities for solo work and acquitted themselves well; Craig Bradfield's bassoon added piquant colour to the aria "Das Lamm verstummt".
It was in the arias that the composer's amateurish writing revealed itself most alarmingly, distracting from the fine singing of Dmitry Rusakov in "Lasst mich ihn nur noch einmal kussen".
The performance, which took place as day passed into night in the Holy Trinity Cathedral, with richly hued stained glass windows slowly turning to shadowy panes, drew a large and responsive audience, auguring well for Bach Musica's 30th season.
