Brutal Passion

"Throughout my life, I have never known a moment of uncertainty as to what Bach's most moving composition is. Without any doubt the St Matthew Passion. Neither in length, nor in moving power is there anything that can be compared to it. "

Maarten 't Hart

Commuters navigate every day between the addicts and outcasts around Brussels railway stations. In Gaza, dead children are pulled from under the rubble by stunned relatives. In Ukraine, an elderly couple flees with all they have left in a plastic bag among the ruins of their city. What if the evangelist Matthew walked among them today as chronicler of our times?

Brute Passion is a contemporary, raw interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach's original masterpiece. This complex oratorio for Baroque orchestra and double choir is translated into a pared-down composition for accordion and voice: an intense and brutal version of the passion. Brute Passion is a modern contemplation on suffering with its feet in an ancient tradition. A reflection on the naked and vulnerable human being who stumbles, falls and hopes for a living angel to see him, dry tears, listen, and help carry a cross.

Sara Salverius and Valentijn Dhaenens got to know each other during the creation of Het Gezin van Paemel (2021). They share a fascination for suffering as a theme in music and as a phenomenon throughout (art) history as well as in the world today and in their personal lives.