About the work

The Gospel of Mary is an oratorio based on an unconventional gospel text from a fifth-century papyrus known by the same name. The text was not discovered until the late nineteenth century, and since then two additional fragments have been found. However, a large part of the gospel is still missing. A religious text from this ancient period that gives such a high status to a woman is unusual and has generally not been on the shelves of the church over the centuries. Therefore, it is easy to speculate that the text was even deliberately kept from the early Christians. The work presents a radical interpretation of Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge and rejects suffering and death as a path to eternal life. Furthermore, it describes Mary Magdalene's close relationship with Jesus and describes her as one of the apostles.

The oratorio uses part of the text from The Gospel of Mary in Karen L. King's English translation. It is supplemented by other texts, including those by female theologians and an original text by the work's librettist.

The libretto was written by Nila Parly and Niels Brunse. Nila Parly is one of Denmark's leading opera dramatists and worked with Hugi Guðmundsson on the award-winning opera Hamlet in Absentia. Niels Brunse is a well-known writer and translator, especially known for his extensive translations of Shakespeare into Danish.

The Gospel of Mary is written for soprano, chamber choir, organ and chamber orchestra. The role of Mary Magdalene is a solo role, sung by the soprano, while the choir (SATB) takes on all other roles. A clear line through the work is the interaction between Mary and the somewhat skeptical disciples who question the fact that Jesus only appeared to her after his resurrection. This line is divided between arias with Mary's theological reflections, choral parts that reflect on the narrative, and finally short sections of solo instruments that allow the audience to reflect on their own.

The work was premiered by soprano Berit Norbakken, Schola Cantorum Reykjavicensis and Århus Sinfonietta in Hallgrímskirkja on June 6, 2022, as part of the Reykjavík Arts Festival. Conducted by Hörður Áskelsson.