La passione di Gesù Cristo is a libretto by Pietro Metastasio which was repeatedly set as an azione sacra or oratorio by many composers of the late baroque, Rococo and early classical period.
The libretto was written by the imperial poet in Rome on the instruction of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor.
[citation needed] Court composer Antonio Caldara's original setting of La passione di Gesù Cristo signor nostro was performed on 3 April 1730, as part of Holy Week, in the holy sepulchre of the Hofburgkapelle [de], the court chapel in the Hofburg in Vienna.
[1][2] The oratorio marks a departure from the settings of actual Gospel passion narratives such as the Latin Passio Secundum Ioannem of Alessandro Scarlatti to a more theatrical style.
The four central roles are S. Pietro, S. Giovanni, Maria Maddalena, Giuseppe d'Arimatea – with John, Mary Magdalene and Joseph of Arimathea answering Peter's questions about the crucifixion.