Peter Gabriel - Passion

The Last Temptation of Christ (or The Last Temptation) is a novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1960. It follows the life of Jesus Christ from his perspective. The novel has been the subject of a great deal of controversy due to its subject matter, and appears regularly on lists of banned books.

The central thesis of the book is that Jesus, while free from sin, was still subject to every form of temptation that humans face, including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance, and lust.

Peter Gabriel - Passion

Kazantzakis argues in the novel's preface that by facing and conquering all of man's weaknesses, Jesus struggled to do God's will, without ever giving in to the temptations of the flesh.

Nikos Kazantzakis

In 1988, an equally controversial film adaptation by Martin Scorsese was released. It stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, David Bowie as Pontius Pilate, and Harry Dean Stanton as Paul. The film was shot entirely in Morocco.

Kazantzakis - The Last Temptation Of Christ

When Martin Scorsese directed the film Peter Gabriel was selected to do the score. Gabriel had already established credentials as an adventure some composer who could respond to the dramatic nature of the film with a fitting score. What he produced was something far beyond Scorcese's expectations.

Martin Scorsese

Peter Gabriel has earned a worldwide reputation for his innovative work as a musician, writer and video maker. When at school he co-founded the group Genesis, which he left in 1975. His albums, live performance and videos since then have won him a succession of awards.

In 1980 he collected a group of people together to found WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance). In a series of international festivals, starting in 1982, WOMAD has brought together traditional and modern music, arts and dance from every corner of the globe.

Peter Gabriel

Gabriel was asked by Alan Parker in 1984 to write the score for the film 'Birdy', which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

'The Last Temptation of Christ' was the basis for one of his most experimental and innovative albums, Passion. This album, which involved an extraordinary selection of musicians and singers, tried to integrate many very different styles of music.

Martin Scorsese - The Last Temptation

Peter Gabriel: "It was a wonderful experience working with such different and idiosyncratic musicians. They came from Pakistan, Turkey, India, Ivory Coast, Bahrain, Egypt, New Guinea, Morocco, Senegal and Ghana. For many of them working with this material was something quite new and they were very enthusiastic. The soundtrack is full of the spirit of their performance."

Prominent vocalists like Youssou N'Dour, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Baaba Maal combine with the likes of Hossam Ramzy and David Rhodes to produce effects ranging from toe-tapping to incredibly eerie.

Peter Gabriel - Passion

Even if you did not see the movie, or hated the movie, you may very well enjoy this soundtrack. Too, Christian faith is not a prerequisite - the music is primal, resonating within us on a level that takes us back to a much earlier time, when much of mankind lived in the deserts, and lived a different life.

The beauty and brilliance of Peter Gabriel's music (however you want to term it -- progressive rock, world music, eclectic music, experimental music, etc.) is that it never ceases to be compelling.

This isn't easy listening music. It deals with a difficult subject and does it by building an interior effect. At times the rhythm and harmony are almost unnerving. Moments of peace are rare and precious. Something magic happen in Gabriel's hands and the whole is much more than a simple collection of world music parts. Thoroughly modern, yet full of its roots this is an album of unusual and brilliant insights.

Peter Gabriel