Robert Kyr
The Passion According to Four Evangelists
NA098

Carole Haber, soprano; Gloria Raymond, mezzo-soprano; William Hite, tenor; David Murray, baritone; and the Back Bay Chorale, Beverly Taylor, director

For the modern reader, the word "passion" suggests strong emotion or sexual desire. However, the word derives from Latin -- passio -- and even more distantly, from Greek -- pascho, pathos, pathema -- meaning "to suffer." In this latter sense, it relates to "the passion" -- the gospel narrative of Jesus' suffering and death on the cross as told by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the New Testament.

The challenge of composing a passion in the twentieth century is considerable given the fact that there is no sizable contemporary repertoire in this genre and hence, no prospective models -- only two "recent" works come to mind: Krzysztof Penderecki's St. Luke Passion (1963-65) and Arvo Part's Passio (1973). In these modern passions, as well as those by Bach and other baroque composers, the story is narrated by a singe figure, one of the four evangelists. From the beginning, I decided to take a different path in terms of storytelling and musical dramatization. In writing the text, I began with the Revised Standard version of the gospels, and after interweaving the four stories together, I set about the task of "editing" the entire text. I distilled the stories into a poetic form which has been created, not as literature, but as a text to be set to music.

In The Passion According to Four Evangelists I intend every note to be heard simply and directly -- I hope that the power of the story is felt through the starkness and clarity of the musical expression. I am not interested in reflecting trends or fads (the latest "-isms") or relying on historical references -- rather, for each scene, I have strived to compose music which proceeds from the inner core of the narrative. I have tried to convey only the essential -- no more, no less. Beyond that, that story speaks for itself.

Track List

Part I: The Judgement
1. I. Inscription
II. The Decision 3:15
2. III. The Accusation
IV. The Testimony 3:28
3. V. The Wondering 4:16
4. VI. The Choice 2:19
5. VII. The Sentence
VIII. The Exchange 5:54

Part II: The Way of the Cross
6. I. The Mocking 2:25
7. II. Simon of Cyrene 2:02
8. III. Daughters of Jerusalem 4:44
9. IV. The Place of a Skull 2:06

Part III: The Crucifixion
10. I. Forgiveness 1:27
11. II. Divided 2:50
12. III. Remembrance 2:23
13. IV. Behold 2:47
14. V. Forsaken 6:10
15. VI. Thirst 5:05
16. VII. Finished 2:31
17. VIII. Yielded 5:37
18. IX. Witness 11:04

Total: 70:32

$15.00

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