Press Room 
An ample demonstration of the Passion's greatness was the Ottawa Chamber Music Society's presentation of it Sunday afternoon. The Arion Ensemble of Montreal and Les Voix Baroques gave as authentic a performance of it as any reasonable person could hope for.
The principal soloists were strong and convincing. Tenor Jan Kobow sang the Evangelist with great dignity and in beautiful voice, not to mention considerable stamina. Basses Stephan Mcleod, Joshua Hopkins, and Nathaniel Watson sang Jesus, Peter and Pilate respectively. While Jesus is the most important of the three, it would be hard to sort them out for quality. All were excellent, though Mcleod naturally made the strongest impression.
Les Voix Baroques was a dozen voices strong, with emphasis on strong. Their balance and blend were ideal, intonation was nearly always spot on. Even more impressive was the precision of their ensemble. Their sound was solid and forceful, sometimes to the point of making the orchestra hard to hear for a phrase or two, at least from where I sat in the balcony. On the other hand, some people sitting near the stage said they had trouble hearing the chorus over the orchestra.
Speaking of the orchestra, it was the most thoroughly authentic, or historically informed if you prefer, to come to these parts in quite a while. It included a pair of violas da gamba in addition to the instruments that make up the modern string orchestra. But even the violins and cellos were instruments Bach would have known. The players used next to no vibrato, producing an effect that sounded perfect for the music.
Much credit goes to guest conductor Alexander Weimann whose sense of the score was informed and eminently musical, and assured an enhanced coherence to the performance.
St. John Passion
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