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Hugi Guðmundsson's award-winning The Gospel of Mary challenges the established story of the women of Christianity

The Gospel of Mary, Danish premiere at KLANG festival 2022 © Alexander Banck-Petersen

Hugi Guðmundsson's award-winning The Gospel of Mary challenges the established story of the women of Christianity

On 28 April, the first recording of Hugi Guðmundsson's award-winning oratorio The Gospel of Mary, a moving work which combines the Baroque oratorio tradition with a contemporary setting.

New release
29 March 2023

With stirring sinfonietta, choir and solo soprano, the Icelandic composer Hugi Guðmundsson has created a new oratorio. The Gospel of Mary draws inspiration from a long forgotten gospel text, which challenges the established narrative surrounding the role of Mary Magdalene and in this work is unfolded in the feminist interpretation by Guðmundsson and the librettists Niels Brunse and Nila Parly.

The Gospel of Mary has recently received the Composition of the Year award at the Icelandic Music Awards 2023. Now a world premiere recording of the work is released, featuring Århus Sinfonietta, the choir Schola Cantorum Reykjavicensis and soprano Berit Norbakken. Pre-save the album to your streaming service here.

New perspective on the women of Christianity

For almost two thousand years her story was erased from the official tales of the Church. Although loved by Jesus more than all his other disciples, she became a shadowy, disputed presence: defamed as a prostitute, erased from the scene, diminished in stature.

As the story of Mary Magdalene finally came to us, her story was contained on a fifth century papyrus codex, which was purchased by a German scholar on a Cairo antiquities market in 1896 and from here made its way to Berlin.

The codex presents a radical interpretation of Jesus' teachings and positions Mary Magdalene as an Apostle, with a close relationship to Jesus. In The Gospel of Mary invites us to listen to a voice that was silenced by history and unfolds a feminist interpretation of the text, telling a story about how women were a part of the birth of Christianity, but have been toned down and hidden.

Baroque tradition in contemporary form

Guðmundsson’s setting of the Gospel of Mary follows the Baroque tradition of interspersing dramatisations of the Gospel text with movements that comment upon it. In these sections, the words of Mary are given to the solo soprano, while those of the male characters are given to the chorus.

The oratorio also includes three chorals with original words by Brunse and Parly, resembling the ‘feminine’ orchestration of Mary's music, and five solo instrumental meditations that are set apart somewhat in sound and manner.

Hugi Guðmundsson's unmistakable flair for writing music for the voice is evident in The Gospel of Mary. The music combines the oratorio form with contemporary scoring, melodious and narrative vocal parts and soaring choral sounds.

Single out now

Today a single is released, that is Chorale III, a moving chorale with fragile instrumental introduction. Listen on your streaming service via this link.

  • Hugi Guðmundsson

    The Gospel of Mary

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