A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE PASSION STORY

„The women were with Jesus. Every day. They were there at the foot of the cross and on the morning of the resurrection. We don't hear anything about them in the Bible. But the Bible tells us that they were the ones who were there. So wouldn't it be interesting to have a direct testimony of these women?“ (Librettist Peter Sellars

With a focus on marginalised perspectives, The Gospel According to the Other Mary puts biblical characters and events, including the resurrection of Lazarus and the Passion of Christ, in a strongly political, contemporary light:

After her release from prison, Mary returns to her sister Martha. Martha runs a home that survives on donations and small miracles and cares for people in need. A group of activists, led by a man named Jesus who fights for more equality and justice, also find refuge in this community. But the protective walls begin to crumble and Mary and Martha are mercilessly confronted with a world characterised by violence, brutality and injustice. This puts their resilience to the test. How can they keep faith in a better future when everything around them stands in stark contrast to their hopes? 

RELEVANT TOPICS, TODAY, TWENTY YEARS AGO AND TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO

In The Gospel According to the Other Mary there are only a few references to the Gospels. The rest is based on various sources, from Dorothy Day's autobiography to poems by the South American writer Rosario Castellanos, from June Jordan to other texts.

„In the play, different voices from different times and places have their say. However, we want to make sure that we don't get stuck on very specific references, but rather see what unites these texts. The authors, for example, were all creative thinkers who stood up for their community. The women writers featured in the libretto combine beautiful and joyful things with hard, dark feelings. At the same time, we celebrate the diversity of the material and accept that there are many points of view at the same time, that there can never be just one point of view,“ says director Lisenka Heijboer Castañón, who is making her debut at the Volksoper.

Wallis Giunta as Mary and Jasmin White – a multiple award-winning member of our opera studio – as Martha, are at the head of an exciting ensemble. Jaye Simmons – whose acclaimed roles include Maria in West Side Story – is another young voice from the Opera Studio. Alok Kumar, who has worked at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera, among others, is cast as Lazarus. The countertenors Christopher Ainslie and Edu Rojas also contribute to John Adam's special musical world.

The musical direction is in the hands of Canadian conductor Nicole Paiement. The founder and artistic director of Opera Parallèle in San Francisco is a specialist in contemporary music: „John Adams’ score powerfully depicts a complex emotional journey, evoking the unsuspected undercurrents of darkness with a broad palette of colours, textures and harmonies. At the centre is a large percussion section with a large number of alpine bells, tuned gongs and tam-tams, as well as a special quartet of piano, harp, bass guitar and cimbalom. This expansive soundscape is carefully utilised to enhance the emotions present in the story. In this way, the orchestra becomes an active participant in the narrative.“