Steinberg's "Passion Week" extensively uses ancient Russian Orthodox chants, with ten of its eleven movements based on thematic material from standard chant books.
Composer Biography
Maximilian Steinberg, the composer of "Passion Week," was born into a Jewish family in Vilnius, Lithuania, and later converted to Russian Orthodoxy to marry Rimsky-Korsakov's daughter.
Critical Reception
Despite being published in 1927, Steinberg's "Passion Week" did not receive public performances until April 2014, with an open reading by The Clarion Choir in New York City.
Composition History
Shortly after "Passion Week" was completed, the performance of all sacred music was banned by Bolshevik cultural commissars, preventing its performance in the Soviet Union.
Composition History
Steinberg composed "Passion Week" between 1920 and 1923, during the turbulent years of the Bolshevik Revolution and Russian Civil War, when repression against the Church was increasing.
Recording & Production
The score for "Passion Week" was given to Russian-American conductor Igor Buketoff in 1957 by Dmitry Shostakovich, who was Steinberg's former student.
Composer Biography
Maximilian Steinberg was a student of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, Alexander Glazunov, and Anatol Liadov at the St Petersburg Conservatory, and later became a professor there, teaching Dmitry Shostakovich.
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