Justin Appel

Dear Friends,

The Gospel lesson today contains a scene from the crossing of the Sea of Galilee by Jesus and his disciples from Luke chapter 8. This passage reminds me of a modern passion setting by Ēriks Ešenvalds, his St Luke Passion. In the story, he includes this lake-crossing episode just after Jesus has died on the cross, commending his spirit to the Father. This episode serves as a kind of “scene-within-a-scene,” taking us back to a moment when Jesus astonished the disciples with his power over the natural world.

There are a couple of things to notice about the music here. First, the dream-like quality of the instrumentation makes us believe this is a kind of recollection of a past event in the main story line. Second, the storm is accompanied by a swirling storm music that refers back to the beginning of the passion, where the music accompanies the crowd (or the “turba” in traditional terms) who are crying “Crucify him, crucify him!” The parallels between these sections make for some illuminating interpretive possibilities.

I hope you enjoy hearing this, especially if you were able to hear Ešenvalds’ Saint Philip’s Missa Brevis this past Sunday.

St Luke Passion, Part VI: And they parted his raiment, Ēriks Ešenvalds

(https://youtu.be/oDY3WNkXwxA)

Yours in Christ,

—Justin