St John Passion

Sofia Gubaidulina's great oratorio using the texts of St. John the Evangelist consists of the 'St. John Passion' and 'St. John Easter.'

The composer wrote the 90-minute 'St. John Passion' in response to a commission from the Stuttgart Bach Academy. It is the first Russian Passion setting ever composed.

The one-hour Easter Oratorio based on St. John, composed one year later, commissioned by the North German Radio, forms a contrast to the dark events of the Passion. Its subject is the notion of resurrection and redemption and it is set in a brighter, more lyrical tone. This completes Gubaidulina's St. John cycle, which she named her 'opus summum.'

The world premiere of the complete cycle took place on 16 March 2002 at the St. Michaelis Kirche in Hamburg under the direction of Valery Gergiev.