The Passion, to a Latin beat

By David Stabler
© The Oregonian

"Revolutionary." "A breakthrough work." "A work of genius."

When "La Pasion Segun San Marcos" ("The Passion According to St. Mark") exploded onto the stage five years ago with its exuberant mix of tango, drumming, dance, orchestral and choral music in Latin, Spanish and Aramaic, audiences and critics raved.

Rapturous ovations greeted Oswaldo Golijov's large-scale oratorio at premieres in Stuttgart, Germany; Boston; New York, and Los Angeles.

On Thursday, "La Pasion" tangos into Eugene with the first of two performances at the Oregon Bach Festival.

Golijov, considered the hottest classical composer today, is no stranger to the two-week festival. Nine years ago his "Oceana" mesmerized audiences with a stirring performance by a Caracas choir and a Brazilian pop singer. Golijov, who grew up Jewish in the Catholic country of Argentina, is also a favorite composer and arranger of chamber music for the Kronos Quartet.

Based on the success of "Oceana," festival director Helmuth Rilling asked Golijov to write a Passion for the 250th anniversary of Bach's death in 2000. Rilling premiered it in his hometown of Stuttgart, creating pandemonium among the usually reserved German audience, Rilling recalled: "Half an hour after the concerts, people were still in the hall, screaming."

In 2002, Eugene audiences reacted similarly to another contemporary take on Bach's Passions. Tan Dun's "Water Passion" was part of the same anniversary Passion project that Rilling commissioned from four composers: Golijov, Tan, Germany's Wolfgang Rihm and Russia's Sophia Gubaidulina. Mixing singers, orchestra and translucent water bowls as percussion instruments, "Water Passion" delivered the kind of adrenalin jolt that has kept the Oregon Bach Festival among the liveliest in the country.

"La Pasion" promises a jolt of its own. It was Golijov's breakthrough piece, a work that appears to speak -- no, shout -- to audiences in ways that are meaningful and universal.

"Occasionally, over the last 50 years, a piece of music has come along that both defined its time and paved the way for the future," wrote Mark Swed, a Los Angeles Times music critic. "The key to this work's great sway over a listener is, I think, its authenticity and complete lack of pretense."

"La Pasion" combines contemporary culture with Jewish and Christian ritual. In telling the story of Jesus' life, Golijov makes Jesus a dark-skinned Latino. Brass and percussion groups roam through Latin music, including Cuban salsa, Tito Puente of the '50s and Astor Piazzolla's bandoneon, or accordion. Dancers enact Jesus as a fisherman and the Sermon on the Mount as a street celebration.

Many of the "Pasion's" original performers will appear in Eugene, including Schola Cantorum, the superb 40-voice choir from Caracas, Venezuela, as well as Brazilian singer Luciana Souza. Maria Guinand, the choir's director, will conduct. Golijov will attend.

Thursday's performance offers general admission seating in the Hult Center's Silva Hall. At $12 and $22, festival organizers are trying to reach beyond their usual audience by keeping ticket prices below the $49 top price.

"La Pasion" kicks things off in high gear, but other festival highlights include Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" on June 26, the Kronos Quartet on July 1, the American premiere of Felix Mendelssohn's youthful opera "The Uncle From Boston" on July 3 and Franz Joseph Haydn's rambunctious oratorio "The Creation" on closing day, July 10.

Adventures await.