News News Release

MPR to Air "The Passion of Jesus Christ"

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

GORDON MOE, associate administrator and manager of Choral Ensembles
(218) 299-4886 / moe@cord.edu

AMY KELLY, College Communications and Media Relations director
(218) 299-3642          

CLASSICAL MPR TO AIR RENÉ CLAUSEN’S “THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST”

Classical Minnesota Public Radio will air the performance of Dr. René Clausen’s “The Passion of Jesus Christ” during Passion Week from 8-10 pm. Thursday, March 29, on KCCM 91.1 FM, Fargo-Moorhead, and on KCMF 89.7 FM, Fergus Falls, Minn.

Clausen, conductor of The Concordia Choir, Concordia College, Minn., was commissioned to write the piece to observe the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The oratorio-length composition is an emotional retelling of Jesus Christ’s last week of life and premiered April 8, 2017, at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

Classical MPR’s Alison Young will host the two-hour broadcast. The concert program will be available on MPR’s website so listeners can follow along with the piece.

“I am thrilled to be hosting this stunning world premiere by a Minnesota legend, René Clausen,” says Young. “The Passion and its cast of characters grappling with their myriad – and often contradictory – emotions feel relevant to us today. Their feelings and subsequent actions comprise the emotional and moral ambiguities of the human condition.”

The composition, performed by the 400 musicians of the Concordia voice faculty, choirs and orchestra, brings audience members closer to powerful scenes from Christ’s procession into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, the trial before Pilate and the crucifixion. In addition to telling the story of the Passion, music and text reveal moments when major figures struggle with the motivation and implication of their actions. The passion of Christ is at the heart of the Reformation and Martin Luther’s theology, which critiqued late medieval religion by holding up the theology of the cross.

Minnesota Public Radio also plans to stream the broadcast and will archive it for on-demand listening. Visit mpr.org for the program and details.

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