Libretto: Written by Daniel Pinkham Synopsis: "A cantata with an opera in the middle." Both in sound and structure, The Passion of Judas shows the composer's interest in mystery plays of the medieval church and in the two extant Bach Passion settings. The text has been taken from the Bible, poems by Norma Farber, James Wright, and a television play by R. C. Norris. Three choral psalm-settings frame the work; the first (Psalm 1) pointing out the path of virtue, the second (Psalm 15) warning of deceit, and the third (Psalm 51) praying for forgiveness. Amid these psalms, there are prose readings about Judas from the New Testament, two solo arias that set modern poems about Judas, and a brief opera that depicts how the parents of Judas bought his life from one of the infant-slaughtering captains of Herod. Duration: ~ 30 Minutes Roles: AN EVANGELIST Narrator A WOMAN OF KERIOTH Soprano ESTHER, wife of Simon Mezzo-Soprano SIMON OF KERIOTH Baritone CAPTAIN OF HEROD'S ARMY Bass JUDAS Tenor MIXED CHORUS SATB Instrumentation Notes: Small Orchestra: Clarinet, Viola, Harp, Chamber Organ, Double-Bass Instrumentation Notes: B-Flat Clarinet, Harp, Viola, Contrabass, Chamber Organ .
