What is truth, and how much pain are we willing to suffer for it?
What is truth, and how much pain are we willing to suffer for it? These pertinent questions were the inspiration for And You Must Suffer, the new version of the St John Passion with which B’Rock and the Wroclaw Philharmonic Chorus triumphed at a lively Klara Festival in Brussels in March 2016. This, Bach’s most concentrated, intense and controversial setting of the Passion story tacks between recitatives and choruses, devout chorales and lyrical arias, with a particular emphasis on such special instruments as the viola d’amore and the oboe de caccia.
For this occasion, this iconic work will be bracketed by a penetrating prelude and epilogue by Annelies Van Parys, while the Palestinian-Israeli composer Samir Odeh-Tamimi has written a confrontational intermezzo. In his breathtaking staging, Pierre Audi fuses the whole into a universal reflection on the role of religion, identity, sacrifice, suffering and – above all – compassion.
Produced by Muziektheater Transparant and B’Rock Orchestra, co-produced by Klarafestival, Kaaitheater, De Munt/La Monnaie, Wroclaw National Forum of Music and the Polish Institute. With a composition commissioned from Samir Odeh-Tamimi by Klarafestival/Flanders Festival Brussels and from Annelies Van Parys by Muziektheater Transparant.