Classicalite: Boston Symphony Orchestra Takes a Fresh Look at Osvaldo Golijov’s 'La Pasión Según San Marcos'

Via: Classicalite

The Boston Symphony Orchestra will perform Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov's 'La Pasión Según San Marcos' on January 9, 10 and 11. (Photo : Robson Fernandjes)

By Louise Burton (l.burton@classicalite.com) Dec 27, 2013 08:43 PM EST |

In 2001, the Boston Symphony Orchestra gave the U.S. premiere of Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov's La Pasión Según San Marcos, a work that tells the story of the Passion through a Latin American lens. The BSO will present the work again on January 9, 10 and 11 at Symphony Hall under the direction of Robert Spano, who also conducted the premiere.

Golijov's retelling of The Passion According to St. Mark sets the story of Christ's betrayal, death and resurrection amidst the streets of Latin America. He uses strikingly unusual styles of music to tell the familiar Passion story: samba, salsa, flamenco and tango. La Pasión integrates multiple genres and cultural traditions including dance, folk music, batá drumming and capoeira martial arts.

The resulting work received great acclaim at its U.S. and world premieres. As James Inverne wrote in a recent Classicalite story about Golijov, "He burst into music fans' view with a sensational contribution to the Bach 2000 project in Stuttgart, La Pasión Según San Marcos. It remains an amazing piece of work and set the stage for several more pieces that burst with ideas and are suffused in Golijov's many influences--musical theater, klezmer, Arabic music, film soundtracks."

The Boston Globe hailed La Pasión as "a work of genius" saying, "the work will stand as the first indisputably great composition of the 21st century."

The Boston Symphony's upcoming performances of the work will feature soprano Jessica Rivera, vocalist Biella da Costa, Afro-Cuban singer and dancer Reynaldo González-Fernandez and Deraldo Ferreira performing capoeira dance. They will be joined by members of the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela and the Orquesta La Pasión (an ensemble created expressly for performances of this work).

More information about this program is available at bso.org.