Travel Tip: Classical Music in Italy
John Debney: The Passion of the Christ Symphony

Composer John Debney conducts the world-premiere performance of his new orchestral work, The Passion of the Christ Symphony in the outdoor “Cavea” at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia’s performance complex in Rome, designed by architect Renzo Piano.  The symphony will be accompanied by visuals of iconic paintings of Christ from around the world.

John Debney based his Passion of the Christ Symphony on themes featured in his Academy Award-nominated score to Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ. The symphony, which lasts approximately 80 minutes, follows Christ’s journey through the Stations of the Cross.  A prologue sets the stage, placing the audience in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The seven movements that comprise this large-scale work are based on scenes leading up to Christ’s crucifixion and death, beginning with Jesus’s condemnation and taking up of the Cross in the first movement to his placement in the tomb in the seventh and final movement.  The work ends with a Resurrection Epilogue.  Vocal solos are heard throughout the symphony, including an  Agnus Dei, with texts in Italian, Aramaic and Latin.