Specially commissioned by Edinburgh International Festival and the Barbican, it’s hard to imagine a finer 2026 Festival launch than this baroque, multi-layered sensory composition and performance.
It’s also a Scottish Premiere, composed especially for the Dunedin Ensemble by Tansy Davies, who draws from non-canonical gospels, ancient texts and poetry to create a striking re-imagining of the myths and legends surrounding the Passion of Christ. Her sources reveal an altered viewpoint by highlighting the voices of women surrounding Jesus, led by another immortal name, Mary Magdalene.
The score is an arresting re-working of the Gospel stories, brought pounding to life in a rousing, emotive performance led by conductor John Butt. Moving across three acts, it strikes an angular note from the off. A discordant chorus invokes the chaos of crowds as male and female voices vie for attention, immediately signalling a jazz-inflected score. But the composer avoids any obvious structure, as the ensemble’s voices soar and captivate amid the tones of harpsichord, oboe, double bass and bassoon.
Mary quickly makes herself known through the resonant tones of Anna Dennis, who questions Marcus Farnsworth’s Jesus, interrogating his outrageous claims. The score calls for some serious atonal passages, sending the baroque ensemble scurrying around the fingerboards and pressing the vocalists to bounce between octaves – a thundering energy which the musicians maintain for a full 80 minutes.
Davies, however, retains her most effective armoury for the final act where she unleashes the chaos and horror surrounding the crucifixion. Here the ensemble and vocalists unveil their finest performances, drawing the audience into a scurrying, escalating tragedy. Legal arguments and counter-claims pile up as the musicians intensify the drama. As Jesus eventually finds himself betrayed by his own people, the shock of this ever-familiar tale feels quite raw in the room.
The show’s final note brings a full house to a standing applause. Yells, whistles and stamping feet greet the exhausted musicians who look somewhat stunned at the response to an atonal, byzantine score. Hats-off to composer Tansy Davies, who has re-tooled a familiar tale by bringing soul, fear, politics and human struggle to the fore.
With thanks to Malcolm McGonigle for this review.
