While it lacks the immediate lyrical appeal of the better-known second version, there is an overwhelming sense of immediacy which this excellent performance captures at every stage…Kaftan’s musical direction, captured in a fine recording, seizes every one of the ample dramatic opportunities an really gets to the heart of Martinu’s musical language, illuminating its tonal warmth from within.

magnificent choirs contrast vividly with intimate chamber music, and folkloristic elements are placed next to complex, classically worked-out orchestral movements. A highly emotional mixture of oratorio and dramatic opera takes the listener into a world in which catastrophes abound.

Totally original yet easily approachable, The Greek Passion is perhaps the most moving, powerful and topically relevant opera of the last 60 years. The Choruses are powerful, supplying the opera’s very necessary epic character and human sweep.

Dirk Kaftan sharpens the contours and breaks in the music with a piercing fervour and inspires the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra and the substantial ensemble of singers, particularly the outstanding performances of Ralf Romei as Manolio, Dshamilja Kaiser as Katerina and Wilfried Zelinka as Priest Grigoris, to special heights.