Osvaldo Golijov's Musical "Passion"

When Osvaldo Golijov’s "Passion According to St. Mark" debuted in Stuttgart ten years ago this year, the response was one for the history books.

Ecstatic, rapturous, thunderous applause for twenty minutes.

Critics were raving about the birth of a new age in Golijov’s Afro-Latin infused musical rendering of the story of the last days of Jesus. And in its US debut, rapture all over again.

A decade on, on this Good Friday, we're looking back over a decade now of performances of a mold-breaking, breath-taking work of sacred music.

This Hour, On Point: Oswaldo Golijov’s Passion.Guests:

Osvaldo Golijov, Grammy award-winning classical music composer. His landmark work "Passion According to St. Mark" debuted ten years ago. You can listen back to NPR's early review of the work.

Stephen Crist, professor of music history at Emory University, and a scholar of Bach and early music.

John Sparrow, general manager and vice president of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

More links:

On Point has delved into the classical music world many times in years past. In 2004, we caught up with mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. Peter Gelb, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, joined us in 2008 to discuss how his company is rocking the opera world.  Chinese pianist Lang Lang has been playing since he was 3 years old, and, still under 30 years old, is considered one of the top classical pianists in the world.  Opera singer Anna Netrebko, described as “Audrey Hepburn with a voice,” joined the show in 2006, telling listeners how she worked her way from scrubbing the floors in a Russian opera house to singing center stage at the Met. Legendary composer Philip Glass and his cellist muse, Wendy Sutter, joined us in 2008 to talk about their new show-stopping collaborations.  Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker and author of the bestselling book “The Rest is Noise,” explained the history and cultural significance of music to us in 2007.

And here's Osvaldo with Tom today in the studio: