Bach's St. John Passion, reinterpreted thrice, resonates with modern social issues, as showcased in the Leipzig Bach Festival. The innovative "Queer Passion" highlights discrimination faced by the LGBTQ community, while the "Arabian Passion," arranged by Vladimir Ivanoff, incorporates Middle Eastern themes and tunes into Bach's work, emphasizing the continual strife in the region. Artists express these pressing themes through dichotomies of culture, politics, and faith, showing that music can transcend time and speak to current global challenges.
I saw the suffering of the people there and drew a parallel to the Gospel. I would never have thought that... this topic would still be so relevant in the Middle East.
Especially in Russia and the USA, queer people are once again being discriminated against and oppressed.
The excerpts from the Passions are sung in Arabic by the Lebanese actress and singer Fadia Tomb el-Hage, who has experienced almost constant tension since childhood.
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