Berislav Šipuš: Pasija / Passion

Ligatura Series – HRT/HDS/Cantus

BERISLAV ŠIPUŠ
Pasija, for soloists, speaker, mixed choir and instrumental ensemble (2020.)

Croatian Radiotelevision Choir
Tomislav Fačini, conductor
Soprano: Monika Cerovčec
Mezzo-soprano: Martina Gojčeta Silić
Tenor: Roko Radovan
Bass: Marko Špehar
Speaker: Sreten Mokrović
Cello: Branimir Pustički
Harps: Mirjana Krišković, Veronika Ćiković
Percussion: Hrvoje Sekovanić, Šimun Matišić, Marko Mihajlović, Fran Krsto Šercar

In the 2019/2020 season, Berislav Šipuš was composer-in-residence at Croatian Radiotelevision, and this role included, as in the case of his predecessors, the opportunity to compose two large-scale works for HRT ensembles, one of which was Pasija for soloists, speaker, mixed choir and instrumental ensemble, premiered on 1 March 2022 at Lauba in Zagreb and preserved in the studio recording released on this album.

“Dramaturgically clear and firmly structured, the work consists of three parts connected by an uninterrupted musical flow, themselves divided into scenes that largely correspond to the Stations of the Cross.
The music of Pasija is entirely ‘Šipuš-like’ – permeated by many experiences and influences, reinterpretations of his own musical ideas, and diversities that the composer unites into his own utterance, all within a texture saturated with feeling, sincere and human, from which the composer does not retreat. Although entirely personal, Šipuš’s work successfully conveys a universal message about spirituality, love, and humanity.”
(Marija Saraga, from the CD booklet)

The Ligatura Series was created in collaboration between Croatian Radiotelevision and the Croatian Composers’ Society.

Artistic collaborations
In the Ligatura Series, we collaborate with contemporary visual artists whose works on the covers introduce us at first glance to the poetics of the musical works. For the album Pasija, the visual concept was created by the established artist Marko Tadić.