The Judas Passion

The Judas Passion by Sally Beamish is a 1 hour 20 minute work for three soloists (soprano, tenor & baritone), chorus (4 countertenors or altos, 4 tenors & 3 basses) and chamber orchestra (baroque). With a libretto by David Harsent the work raises questions on the role of Judas in the Passion. The music takes as a starting point fragments of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, which Sally Beamish works into her own language with the use of 'magic squares', building long lines with corresponding harmonies out of small fragments of the Bach. Percussion plays a key role in the conception of the piece including a ‘Judas Chime’ which has been specially commissioned for the work from metal sculptor John Creed, consisting of 30 'pieces of silver', hung as a chime and provides a visual as well as an aural focus. The Judas Passion was semi-staged for the premiere by Peter Thomson.

Commissioned by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Philharmonia Baroque and Chorale, the work was premiered on 24 September 2017 at Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden.

The full score (EP 73108) is available for sale as part of the Peters Contemporary Library. The performance material can be hired.