La Pasión según San Mateo

Johann Sebastian Bach's oratorio (BWV 244) performed by Utopia Orchestra & Choir under the musical direction of Teodor Currentzis at the Teatro Real in Madrid, sung in German with surtitles.

This production brings Johann Sebastian Bach's Pasión según san Mateo, BWV 244, to the stage: a work in two parts that traces the suffering and death of Christ, based on chapters 26 and 27 of the Gospel of Matthew, in Martin Luther's translation. To the biblical text are added devotional poems by Christian Friedrich Henrici, known as Picander.

The music alternates the Gospel narration with arias of intense emotional weight and Lutheran chorales of a meditative tone. The musical direction is by Teodor Currentzis at the helm of Utopia Orchestra & Choir, a German company. The vocal cast comprises Patrick Grahl as the Evangelist, Johannes Kammler as Jesus, David Fischer as tenor, Iveta Simonyan as Pilate's wife, Yulia Vakula as mezzo-soprano, Ludwig Mittelhammer as bass and Christophe Dumaux as countertenor.

The performance is sung in German, with surtitles in English and Spanish. Beyond its sacred character, the work raises a reflection on human suffering, empathy and salvation. It is presented at the Teatro Real in Madrid, a theatre whose programming focuses on opera.