Osvaldo Golijov's "La Pasión según San Marcos" ("The Passion According to St. Mark") is a work like no other in classical music, except perhaps Leonard Bernstein's Mass.
First performed in 2000 to mark the 250th anniversary of J.S. Bach's death, it throws Bach's traditional template for telling the story of Christ's trial and crucifixion in music out the window.
A teeming cornucopia of world-music ingredients takes its place, in a score with percussion instruments and ethnic vocal styles from the Latin American and African traditions.
Golijov's "Pasión" had its Minnesota premiere Friday evening at the Minnesota Orchestra's Sommerfest, in a performance that looked and sounded startlingly different from the orchestra's usual concerts.
About 30 regular Minnesota Orchestra players were on the platform, but complementing them was team of dancers, vocal soloists, percussionists, accordion, guitar, string bass, piano and a choir of 50 voices.
The choir's contribution was a highlight of the evening. Most of its members came from Border CrosSing, a Twin Cities group whose director, Ahmed Anzaldúa, prepared the singers for Friday evening's performance.
Golijov demands much more than standard singing from his chorus. In addition to a switchback ride through styles from samba to Gregorian chant, the singers act, too, striking poses and gyrating in response to the evolving drama of St. Mark's narrative.
Their integration of music and movement was totally convincing, at times riveting. They bayed across the stage at one another as Christ was sentenced, then crouched and whined like malevolent animals as his crucifixion beckoned.
