Gabriel Jackson’s 'Passion' to première at Merton

A highlight of this year's Passiontide at Merton festival is the world première of The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ by Gabriel Jackson.

Written for the Merton Choirbook, the work is divided into seven movements, beginning with Palm Sunday. It consists of passages from the Gospels, a number of Latin liturgical texts, and some verses of poetry. To link this major commission with the College’s 750th anniversary, each of the poets is a former member of the College, representing different periods in its history. The coincidence of Merton’s anniversary with the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War is marked by a contribution from Edmund Blunden, whose poetry enables the listener to juxtapose Jesus' agony in Gethsemane with the experience of the trenches. After the crucifixion, the final stanza of TS Eliot's Little Gidding, set to music in this work for the first time, points towards the resurrection, and the hope that 'All shall be well'. An outstanding team of soloists joins the players of the Oxford Contemporary Sinfonia and the College Choir for this performance.

Another highlight is the closing concert of the festival: the performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion. We are delighted to welcome back Dame Emma Kirkby, a former member of the Chapel Choir, for what is our first collaboration with Oxford Baroque. Passiontide at Merton is number 5 in BBC Music Magazine's list of 20 unmissable events for April 2014.