Johann Sebastian Bach, who died in 1750, 250 years ago this year, has been lovingly remembered with significant performances of his great masterworks throughout the year. Recently eminent ensembles from Europe presented performances of the monumental "Saint Matthew Passion" almost simultaneously here.
Ton Koopman and Trevor Pinnock both lean toward the period performance tradition of baroque music. They use period instruments, lean ensembles, scaled sonorities, light bowing, minimal vibrato and lively tempos.
Pinnock had slightly larger numbers in the orchestra and chorus (37 and 36 respectively) than Koopman (34 and 28). Pinnock's approach to sonority was characterized by the British predilection for pageantry, whereas Koopman kept things rolling crisply.