LORENZO PEROSI (1872-1956): La Passione di Cristo secondo S. Marco.

Description: This was the young Perosi's first oratorio in a long series, many of which have made it to CD over the last couple of decades. Dating from 1897, it is in three parts: "The Last Supper", "The Sermon on the Mount" and "The Death of the Redeemer". The almost unremitting use of deep voices, low strings, horns and trombones provides for an atmosphere infinite sadness and gloom which only deepens as the work progresses to the utter desolation of the darkness falling over the earth and Christ's final utterance and death. Massenet, having heard the finale, is said to have exclaimed: "Lorenzo Perosi is really the Italian J.S. Bach!". Bring your hair shirts for this one. Latin-English texts. Davide Pelissero, Franco Podda (baritones), Davide Baronchelli (bass), Lee Won Min (tenor), "Johann Sebastian Bach" Choir of Milan, Orchestra Sinfonica Classica di Alessandria; Arturo Sacchetti.