Osvaldo Golijov’s La Pasión Según San Marcos is almost a quarter-century old now – it was commissioned as one of four new passions in 2000 to mark the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death – but its treatment of the gospel still comes as a shock. A riot of rhythm and colour, interweaving a varied of Latin American musical styles and cultural traditions, this is Christ’s suffering not as solemn biblical narrative but as a here-and-now human crisis: one told, retold, and re-enacted by the masses in language drawn from Spanish vernacular gospel pamphlets sold on street corners.
Paired for the Edinburgh international festival’s opening weekend with its progenitor, Bach’s St Matthew Passion, this one-off performance was a joint venture on an epic scale, bringing together the remarkable Schola Cantorum de Venezuela – who premiered the work and have sung in every performance since – with the National Youth Choir of Scotland, members of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, a set of specialist (and indefatigable) percussionists, and a varied array of jazz, classical and traditional vocalists and dancers.
On paper it might sound exhausting; on stage is was exhilarating, and while individual soloists had their standout moments – Luciana Souza’s haunting Kaddish, Sophia Burgos’s gossamer Lúa Descolorida, and several formidable turns from alto soloist Gioconda Cabrera – the real triumph here was in the exultant massing of voices, shifting musical styles and diverse instrumental textures, shaped with fluid self-possession by conductor Joana Carneiro, and underpinned by the exceptional work of both choirs’ artistic directors.
A St Matthew Passion in which choristers gesticulated in anger, soloists swayed in rhythm, or Christ’s crucifixion was conveyed through capoeira would doubtless raise eyebrows, but in Golijov’s prismatic interpretation – and when delivered with such conviction as here – that intertwining of music and movement feels utterly natural. “Rituals that unite us” is the strapline for this year’s festival; on the strength of the standing ovation that instantly met this particular set of rituals, it would appear they’ve started down the right track.
• Edinburgh international festival runs until 25 August
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