BACH has become very much a symbol of all that is correct and orthodox.

It is difficult, even in the hands of a persuasive and enthusiastic advocate like Geoffrey Weaver, to see beyond the familiar and hear his music with fresh ears.

Geoffrey's talk at Baxter Church on January 30, supported ably by members of Kidderminster Choral Society, revealed the striking and radical nature of what Bach did in his Passions, without descending into mere academics.

Tracing the lineage of the Passion settings from Monteverdi via Shutz and the reformation, Geoffrey illustrated not only Bach's then radical use of instruments to represent personalities within the Passion, but his pioneering use of chromatics, dissonance and words painting.

Illustrating directly from the piano, Geoffrey explained many of the work's subtleties in an easily accessible way, rarely straying into technicalities.

If it was pressure of time which prevented Geoffrey from talking more, particularly about the developments leading up to Bach's Passions and his legacy, then this was a pity.

His approach as a conductor to the issues of authenticity and performance would also have been interesting.

He has now conducted all of Bach's Oratorios with the Kidderminster Choral Society and this thrilling cycle ends with the St John Passion at Kidderminster Town Hall on March 23 at 7.30pm. DL