An English Passion is scored for five soloists, double choir, and two organs, it also includes hymns to be sung by the congregation. As the title suggests, it sets the Passion narrative against the background of an English context, rather as renaissance painters evolved a tradition of setting devotional images against natural landscapes. The words of Christ are reserved for the tenor soloist, whereas those of Saint Matthew are divided between the other voices. The musical setting, which demands full participation from its hearers, is designed to involve rather than impress, and may be seen by some as more suited to performance within a liturgical context. However, as many other greater settings of the Passion readily demonstrate, concert performances also have an Evangelical outreach that few can deny. The Gospel text transcends any musical composition, just as Christ’s Passion transports its witnesses to an internal space of contemplation, reaching out to all who share a common humanity, of all faiths and none.