In the eighteenth century Venice and Rome were the only Italian cities which could rival Naples in the realm of music. From all over Europe young musicians hurried to these centres to complete their studies, to learn the art of singing and to meet the greatest living composers. One of them was Francesco Feo, born in 1691 and a close friend of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. His music is inedited and preserved in the Biblioteca dei Filippini in Naples. His masterwork was probably the St John Passion, composed around 1740 and meant probably to pair with the Pergolesi Stabat Mater. La Divina Armonia, directed by Lorenzo Ghielmi, has succeded in the premiere world recording of this wonderful music. The roles of the liturgical narrative are written for a male voice: the Evangelist is a countertenor, Jesus and Pilate are tenors.

Three arias, two by Feo and one by Francesco Gasparini, have been inserted to punctuate the dramatic story of the Passion. The booklet is using inedited photographs of the Sacro Monte di Varese, an impressive baroque monument which has been declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Images of the chapels of the “sorrowful Mysteries” depict the Passion of Christ and create a visual commentar to the impressive music.