Johann Sebastian Bach wrote the 'St. Matthew Passion' whilst Kantor at the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, where it premiered on Good Friday 1727. This musical mammoth is broadly considered to be one of the greatest compositions ever scored and, running at well over three hours, is clearly vast in both scale and vision. Certainly a cornerstone of not just church music but Western music per se, the work remains fundamental to the classical cannon.
But as non-religious contemporary artists that's not why we want to use it.
Motivated by a telling of the Passion - the execution of Jesus - the 'Matthew' describes a dissident's voice, whose belief in the vocational power of change through action ultimately leads him to trust beyond all doubt that his destiny, in this case Heaven, is an unquestionable sanctity to which he is headed.
He describes this place as 'home'.
At a time of such unrest in the World around territories, borders, migration and identity this belief in a sense of belonging lodges deep. Across culture, religion, politic, and economics the notion of 'home' holds fast.
And it is with this in mind that Pacitti Company are currently working on producing a series of large-scale public events that present a radical, inclusive 'St. Matthew Passion' to a wide range of audiences, both in Britain and overseas. In order to achieve this, the Company aim to collaborate with a wide range of communities around the World in order to unlock a series of questions and responses to ideas of belonging, destiny and place - to home.
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