Johannes Passion
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Music CD Cover
Edition: Music CDFormat: Import
CD Release Date: 2001-10-16
Music Label: Hanssler Classics
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Das Wort / The Word
- Fusswaschung / The Washing Of Feet
- Das Gebot Des Glaubens / The Commandment Of Faith
- Das Gebot Der Liebe / The Commandment Of Love
- Hoffnung / Hope
- Liturgie Im Himmel / Liturgy In Heaven
- Verrat, Verleugnung, Geisselung, Verurteilung / Betrayal, Denial, Flagellation, Condemnation
- No. 8 Gang Nach Golgatha / The Way To Golgotha
- No. 9 Eine Frau, Mit Der Sonne Bekleidet / A Woman Clothed With The Sun
- No. 10 Grablegung / Entombment
- No. 11 Die Sieben Schalen Des Zorns / The Seven Bowls Of Wrath
Free Music Notes for Johannes Passion
Free Music Review: the concept is stronger than the music
Hit: 3 Stars
I certainly hoped that this major work would prove to be Sofia Gubaidulina's masterpiece, but I was apprehensive, particularly since it didn't seem to have attracted much attention since its 2001 release. This is a live recording of the premiere performance on September 1, 2000 in Stuttgart, and I finally heard it this year, just after Easter. I have to say in all honesty that it just doesn't have enough music in it. As a work of devotion, it may be powerful, but in musical terms it falls well short of Gubaidulina's best works, STIMMEN ... VERSTUMMEN for orchestra, for instance (see my review), THE CANTICLE OF THE SUN (see my review of the original recording with Rostropovich on cello), or OFFERTORIUM, featuring Gidon Kremer (see my review).
There is always religious symbolism in Gubaidulina's works, and what she has achieved with this JOHANNES PASSION is amazing in that regard. Not content to merely tell the tale of the Passion from the Gospel of St. John, she interweaves it with the Apocalypse of the Last Judgement from the Book of Revelation (traditionally attributed to the same St. John, though that is not supported by recent scholarship). The booklet includes Gubaidulina's philosophical/theological explanation for this juxtoposition. Here is Gubaidulina:
"My piece, which I now place before the court of the audience, is an attempt at revealing the Word of God, which has come to us, and is living within us, such that His flesh (the temporal, event-laden *horizontal*, i.e., the Passion) and His spirit (the timeless, mental *vertical*, i.e., the Last Judgement) are reunited, refer back to one another and balance each other out."
What this means musically is that the somber story of the Passion, mainly narrated by the bass singer Genady Bezzubenko, is periodically interrupted by stunning choral passages representing the timeless spirit of God and the final victory of good over evil. But the large-scale forces of chorus and orchestra are used only sporadically, and the Orthodox-style chanting narrative, with sparse accompaniment, does not sustain my interest over the 90 minutes of the work.
For more from one of the best composers of our time, see my list SOFIA GUBAIDULINA'S SACRED SOUNDWORLD. I strongly recommend the works mentioned above to anyone interested in Gubaidulina's music.
Johannes Passion Poster
The pealing bells that open Sofia Gubaidulina's St. John Passion immediately announce not only its importance, but also its place firmly in the Russian musical tradition. The work is full of declamatory, hieratic solo passages and rich choral contributions, along with references to Russian Orthodox chants. Gubaidulina's text combines the Passion story with the Last Judgment, using excerpts from the Gospel According to Saint John interspersed with selections from other Books, including Revelations. It's a grim work, brilliantly inventive throughout, with original touches, such as a dialogue between baritone and timpani, and a Day of Wrath featuring menacing percussion and truly terrifying brass yowls and rumblings. Along with these and many other personal visions are echoes of Mussorgsky, as well as the Stravinsky of Les Noces. Gergiev leads a deeply moving performance, intensely dramatic, never flagging in interest or tension, and his soloists are all outstanding. This must be heard by anyone interested in modern music that's both accessible and challenging. Part of a series of commissioned oratorios on the Passion story for the Bach Year, it's a worthy tribute to the Bach Passions that inspired it. --Dan DavisClassical Music CDs
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