The oratorio marks a departure from the settings of actual Gospel
passion narratives such as the Latin Passio Secundum Ioannem of
Alessandro Scarlatti to a more theatrical style. The four central roles are S. Pietro, S. Giovanni, Maria Maddalena, Giuseppe d'Arimatea – with
John,
Mary Magdalene and
Joseph of Arimathea answering
Peter's questions about the crucifixion.
1775 Pietro Maria Crispi, maestro di capella, Rome.[8]
1776
Antonio Salieri, Vienna. – Metastasio is recorded to have said before the emperor that
Salieri's setting "was the most expressive of any written on this poem."[9][10]
^Azione sacra del sig. abate Metastasio poeta di SM ces. cat. Musica del signor Giuseppe Venturelli dilettante[full citation needed]
^Musica e storia: Vol. 9 Fondazione Levi – 2001 "esecuzione presso i padri filippini di Venezia."[full citation needed]
^Smith, J. E., Sir. A sketch of a tour on the continuent in the years 1786 and 1787, p. 275, 1807 ed. "At seven in the evening we went to the church of St. Maria Novella, to hear a most delightful oratorio of Metastasio on the Passion, the music by Jomelli."
^Recordings (1) Lugano Chamber Society Orchestra, dir
Arturo Sacchetti, Musidisc. 1994 (2) Eufonia Ensemble, Sigismondo d'India Vocal Ensemble, Berlin Baroque Academy conducted by
Alessandro De Marchi. K617, 1996
^"Musica di Pietro Crispi, maestro di cappella della medesima chiesa"[full citation needed]
^Jane Schatkin Hettrick Salieri – Mass in D minor vii 2002
^Recordings (1) Alberto Turco, 1 CD Bongiovanni 1995. (2) Christoph Spering. 2004 Capriccio 2004
^Gérard Gefen, booklet notes to CD Les manuscrites de Malte III SM, Paris, 1995
^Recordings (1) Wojciech Czepiel, Warsaw Chamber Opera Chorus, Warsaw Sinfonietta, 2CD, Arts 1998. (2) Diego Fasolis, I Barocchisti, 2CD, CPO 2007.
^Corrado Ricci, I teatri di Bologna nei secoli XVII e XVIII, 1888 p. 736: "Vi cantò Francesca Boccarelli, Domenico Bedini, Antonio Speciali e Francesco Barbieri. Il primo violino fu Francesco Rastrelli"
Further reading
Salieri, Antonio. La Passione di Gesù Cristo, critical edition by Elena Biggi Parodi, Suvini Zerboni, Milan 2000, XLIV, 222 pages.
OCLC48150359,
165002056