(While I'm an atheist, I do listen to a lot of religious music, and music with religious themes- some of it by composers of unsettled faith like Vaughan Williams or even agnostics like Havergal Brian, but much by firmly convinced composers like JS Bach as well. Anyhow.) Heinrich Schutz's St Matthew Passion, a late (1665?) work by this (1585-1672) German composer, is remarkable. Choral/solo vocal throughout as required at the time. I taped it because I was sleepy - very little sleep this past day-and, but woke up and caught part of it... and what I caught grabbed the attention. The setting of Christ's appeal Why hast thou forsaken me?? (I translate...) (he wrote, like Haydn, a separate work devoted itself to the 7 Last Words) is given to a soloist, flowing melody written (and sung, in the two-decade old live performance that was broadcast) with deep feeling...
Hour-long work, I recommend hearing it.
