The opera, based on Bach’s famous 1727 oratorio the St Matthew Passion, is a fully immersive promenade production in Manchester’s Victorian Campfield Market.
BBC Four and The Space are partnering to give audiences front-row seats to sold-out immersive opera The Passion, which is being performed in Manchester on Good Friday and Easter Saturday.
Critically acclaimed charity Streetwise Opera and world-renowned ensemble The Sixteen present a bold and contemporary re-telling of the last days of Jesus’s life.
Penny Woolcock (Going To The Dogs and One Mile Away) has directed an ensemble cast from Streetwise Opera – including performers who have experienced homelessness – and The Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers.
Striking visual designs and live projections by Dick Bird and Imitating The Dog combine with Bach’s dramatic musical score to convey the hard-hitting narrative. The production will also feature a new ‘resurrection’ finale jointly written by Streetwise Opera performers and celebrated composer Sir James MacMillan.
This world premiere will see Easter Saturday’s performance screened on BBC Four at 7pm on Easter Sunday (27 March). BBC Arts Online will also host exclusive content in the lead-up to the events.
The Passion has been produced by Streetwise Opera and The Sixteen in association with HOME, Manchester’s international centre for contemporary visual art, theatre and film, and in partnership with the Booth Centre.
Cassian Harrison, Channel Editor of BBC Four, says: “I am delighted that this Easter, BBC Four and The Space will give audiences the opportunity to experience such an innovative production as Streetwise Opera’s The Passion. Creative partnerships like this allow us to bring the UK’s most exciting arts productions direct to people’s homes.”
Fiona Morris, Creative Director and CEO of The Space, says: “We’re delighted to be working with Streetwise Opera and BBC Four to bring this extraordinary re-imagining of Bach’s wonderful St Matthew passion to audiences around the UK. This promises to be a truly memorable centre piece to the Easter weekend for the performers, audience members and viewers alike.”
