Performing the Passion [videorecording]

This documentary film captures the aural and visual power of music, Performing the Passion examines the role of sacred music within contemporary culture. Produced by Margot Fassler and Jacqueline C. Richard of Yale University's Institute of Sacred Music, this film documents a masterful performance of one of Bach's greatest liturgical works: the St. John Passion. The story of Christ's passion as expressed in the Gospel of John is here refracted through the musical and dramatic conventions of eighteenth-century Lutheran Germany. The music is complemented by insightful commentary from biblical scholars, musicologists, and performers who engage in the debate that this controversial work and its tradition have inspired. With soloists portraying individual characters from the narrative and a full ensemble supporting them, this film depicts both rehearsals and performance, engaging with the many challenges of bringing historic works to modern audiences. Additional scenes without commentary are provided for further study. - Publisher.