Staging Bach

As part of a continuing effort to remind myself that there a great deal more than two opera singers in the world, I've been listening to a few of the CDs that have been lying silent for the last few months - in particular things I bought in my manic April shopping spree. And today, to the divine Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's Bach CD. I hadn't forgotten how much I like Lorraine, but in a way I'd forgotten just why I like her, and so it's nice to hear her again. Well, nice isn't really the word is it? Not when it's Lorraine doing gutwrenching Bach cantatas in her beautiful, soulful way. I leave the CD playing, carry on doing what I'm doing - and then these jaw-dropping moments come when all one can do is stop and stare at the CD player and think "Lorraine." Besides which, as you know, I'm a Bach fiend.

What troubles me slightly though, is the mention in the liner notes for the CD that these two cantatas were staged - with Lorraine - by Peter Sellars. Staged? I'm not sure how I feel about that. From the descriptions given, I imagine they probably did make rather compelling theatre. But theatre. Musically I somehow don't think it's quite necessary. Do we need to spell out in this way the contemporary relevance and universal applicability of the emotions expressed? I don't think that we do because I think all of that - and more besides - is in the music. After all, that's one of the miracles of Bach, the intense and, what's more, the intensely recognisable emotions portrayed. I think, for instance, of 'Mache dich, mein Herze, rein' from the St Matthew Passion, which I consider one of the most perfect pieces of music ever created and which I find it incredibly difficult and emotionally draining to listen to - in fact I haven't made it all the way through since hearing the Passion live in March this year. Bringing the two cantatas into that theatrical setting would, I'm sure, have been a fascinating thing but would it actually add anything to them? Surely there's nothing left to add.