After the Bach Choir Karlsruhe premiered this impressive work by Wolfgang Rihm in Karlsruhe in 2004, it will now be performed again on Good Friday 2026 in the Stadtkirche—as a musical tribute to one of the most important composers of our time.
This commemoration does not contradict Good Friday as the most important holiday in the Protestant Church, but rather connects with the central Christian memory of Christ's suffering and death. It is precisely on this day that the Passion unfolds its special spiritual and emotional depth. A work of great expressiveness, which is heard far too rarely due to its high instrumental demands and degree of difficulty.
Deus Passus is not a narrative Passion in the traditional sense. Wolfgang Rihm approaches the Passion story according to the Evangelist Luke tentatively, questioningly, without concluding it.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus appears as an innocent sufferer and righteous man. His suffering is part of world history—and an expression of God's love for humanity. Rihm takes up this theme without explaining or resolving it. The focus is on the suffering God.
At the same time, the question of human responsibility remains open—even where suffering has occurred in the name of Christianity. Musically, Rihm works with silence, breaks, and condensations.
There are hardly any fixed roles; Christ's words are not assigned to a single voice, but are carried jointly. The conclusion is formed by Paul Celan's poem Tenebrae. Here, the Passion is related to the suffering of the people of the 20th century. Deus Passus remains an open search – serious, restrained, and very present.
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Maine Takeda, soprano / Marie Sophie Janke, mezzo-soprano / Regina Grönegreß, alto
Philipp Nicklaus, tenor / Florian Kontschak, bass
Bachchor Karlsruhe / Camerata 2000 / Conductor: Director of Church Music Christian-Markus Raiser
Admission: €15–32, schoolchildren/students/members of the Friends Association €2 discount, reserved seating, admission ticket valid as KVV public transport ticket. Please note: On April 3, 2026, the "Marktplatz" parking garage at Kreuzstr. 13 A will be open until 10 p.m. as a special exception.
