Experience Bent Sørensen’s St John Passion
On commission of Oslo International Church Music Festival, Bent Sørensen has written a new St John Passion for a small ensemble, keeping with the festival’s theme ‘Masses and passions in step with the times.’ For the world premiere, the work is performed by five singers from Theatre of Voices and five string players from Ensemble Allegria under the direction of the world-renowned conductor Paul Hillier. Sørensen has previously written the critically acclaimed St Matthew Passion for the festival in 2020.
In his new work, Sørensen interprets the Passion story through contrapuntal adaptations of textual sources from the Gospel of John and parts of the apocryphal texts and gospels, including the Secret Book of John and the gospels of Thomas, Mary, and Philip. In addition, Sørensen incorporates ballad texts related to the Passion story from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. As in the Gospel of John, the work focuses on the figure of Mary Magdalene. St Matthew Passion emphasised the theme word ‘mist’, and as a natural counter-part, St John Passion focuses on ‘light’: where St Matthew Passion ended with steps into the mist, St John Passion starts with the journey out of the mist and into the light. The new passion is what the composer describes as a ‘beautiful and delicate work’.
In line with today’s serial culture, Sørensen presents a work that spans two ‘seasons’. Part one will premiere at this year’s festival, while the audience has to wait in anticipation for the continuation. Part two will premiere at the festival in 2026. Season 1 closes with the crucifixion of Jesus, and season 2 will begin with the resurrection.
Theatre of Voices and Paul Hillier will also perform music by the French Renaissance composer Guillaume Dufay (1397–1474), who is considered to be the most important composer of the early Renaissance. They will perform five motets by Dufay as well as the anonymous Robin and Marion– 13th century motets from the French tradition.
Bent Sørensen (b.1958) is one of our time’s leading composers and is sought-after both in Scandinavia and abroad. Since his breakthrough in the 1980s, he has written a number of successful works for small and large ensembles, something that has led to several awards and accolades, among them the Nordic Council Music Prize. In 2014, Sørensen received the Wilhem Hansen Foundation’s honorary award, and in 2018, he was given the prestigious American Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for L’isola della Città (2016). Sørensen is a professor of composition at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music and a guest professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Sørensen’s last opera, Asle and Alida with a libretto by Jon Fosse, will premiere in Bergen in spring 2025.
Theatre of Voices was founded in 1990 by Paul Hillier. The Copenhagen-based group is twice nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize, and has performed at renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Elbphilharmonie, and Sydney Opera House. The group has recorded almost 40 recordings, won several awards, including a Grammy Award, and collaborated with ensembles such as Kronos Quartet, Smith Quartet, and London Sinfonietta. Their repertoire ranges from the earliest written music to modern sound art installations and contemporary opera. Their clear and distinct sound has made them a sought-after collaborator for leading contemporary composers, such as Steve Reich, Arvo Pärt, and David Lang.
Ensemble Allegria is described as one of our most talented ensembles, and since being established in 2008, the orchestra has become an important addition in Norwegian musical life. Ensemble Allegria has released six recordings on LAWO Classics and collaborated on three recordings with the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir on BIS Records. All of their recordings have garnered excellent reviews; three of them were nominated for Spellemannprisen, and the album Bach – The Motets was awarded the prestigious Diapason d’or in 2018. In 2022, Allegria and the Soloists’ Choir, together with Grete Pedersen and Bent Sørensen, received the Norwegian Critics’ Prize for their performance of Sørensen’s St Matthew Passion, commissioned by the Church Music Festival. Maria Angelika Carlsen has been the ensemble’s artistic director since the beginning.
Paul Hillier has had a versatile career, both as a singer, conductor, composer, and music writer. He is the founder of Hillliard Ensemble and Theatre of Voices. He has been the Chief Conductor for Eesti Filharmoonia Kammerkoor, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Coro Casa da Música, and for Chamber Choir Ireland. Hillier’s almost 200 recordings have received accolades all over the world and won a number of awards, among them the Diapason d’or and several Grammy Awards. A number of his recordings have been named Editor’s Choice in leading international music magazines, and are considered reference recordings in music anthologies.
