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The Great Passion
- Narrated by: Pip Torrens
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
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Publisher's summary
From acclaimed bestselling author James Runcie, a meditation on grief and music, told through the story of Bach’s writing of the St. Matthew Passion.
In 1727, Stefan Silbermann is a grief-stricken thirteen-year-old, struggling with the death of his mother and his removal to a school in distant Leipzig. Despite his father’s insistence that he try not to think of his mother too much, Stefan is haunted by her absence, and, to make matters worse, he’s bullied by his new classmates. But when the school’s cantor, Johann Sebastian Bach, takes notice of his new pupil’s beautiful singing voice and draws him from the choir to be a soloist, Stefan’s life is permanently changed.
Over the course of the next several months, and under Bach’s careful tutelage, Stefan’s musical skill progresses, and he is allowed to work as a copyist for Bach’s many musical works. But mainly, drawn into Bach’s family life and away from the cruelty in the dorms and the lonely hours of his mourning, Stefan begins to feel at home. When another tragedy strikes, this time in the Bach family, Stefan bears witness to the depths of grief, the horrors of death, the solace of religion, and the beauty that can spring from even the most profound losses.
Joyous, revelatory, and deeply moving, The Great Passion is an imaginative tour de force that tells the story of what it was like to sing, play, and hear Bach’s music for the very first time.
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Utterly brilliant!!!
- By Maria on 07-04-16
By: Tracy Rees
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The Island
- By: Victoria Hislop
- Narrated by: Emma Powell
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
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On the brink of a life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding plans a trip to her mother's childhood home in Plaka, Greece hoping to unravel Sofia's hidden past. Given a letter to take to Sofia's old friend, Fotini, Alexis is promised that through Fotini, she will learn more. Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see that it lies a stone's throw from the deserted island of Spinalonga—Greece's former leper colony. Fotini reveals the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters, and a family rent by tragedy, war, and passion.
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Will listen to it again someday
- By RN on 01-07-23
By: Victoria Hislop
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Aleph
- By: Paulo Coelho
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Transform your life. Rewrite your destiny. his most personal novel to date, internationally best-selling author Paulo Coelho returns with a remarkable journey of self-discovery. Like the main character in his much-beloved The Alchemist, Paulo is facing a grave crisis of faith. As he seeks a path of spiritual renewal and growth, he decides to begin again: to travel, to experiment, to reconnect with people and the landscapes around him. Setting off to Africa, and then to Europe and Asia via the Trans-Siberian Railway, he initiates a journey to revitalize his energy and passion.
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Strangely compelling read
- By Kathy in CA on 11-22-11
By: Paulo Coelho
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Narcissus and Goldmund
- By: Hermann Hesse
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Narcissus and Goldmund is the story of a passionate yet uneasy friendship between two men of opposite character. Narcissus, an ascetic instructor at a cloister school, has devoted himself solely to scholarly and spiritual pursuits. One of his students is the sensual, restless Goldmund, who is immediately drawn to his teacher's fierce intellect and sense of discipline.
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My favorite of Hesse's novels, wonderfully read.
- By David on 10-21-11
By: Hermann Hesse
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Oblomov
- By: Ivan Goncharov
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 20 hrs and 7 mins
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A member of the landed gentry, with a seemingly guaranteed income from his estate in the country, Oblomov lives in Petersburg, uninterested in the business that provides his living and barely aware that the revenue is diminishing. Not that he leads a dissolute life of extravagance, balls and entertainment. Instead he is a dreamer, a sybarite, content above all to spend most of the day supine, in bed. The novel opens with Oblomov thus ensconced, attended only by his dirty, grumbling, indolent servant Zahar, who has looked after him since childhood, catering to his every need.
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funny and smart
- By Bennett Weiss on 07-29-20
By: Ivan Goncharov
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Bone
- By: Yrsa Daley-Ward, Kiese Laymon - foreword
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From navigating the oft competing worlds of religion and desire, to balancing society’s expectations with the raw experience of being a woman in the world; from detailing the experiences of growing up as a first generation black British woman, to working through situations of dependence and abuse; from finding solace in the echoing caverns of depression and loss, to exploring the vulnerability and redemption in falling in love, each of the raw and immediate poems in Daley-Ward’s bone resonates to the core of what it means to be human.
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Visceral,blood hot, thrilling poetry-prose
- By Pam on 12-28-22
By: Yrsa Daley-Ward, and others
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Surprised by Oxford
- A Memoir
- By: Carolyn Weber
- Narrated by: Nancy Peterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
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Surprised by Oxford is the memoir of a skeptical agnostic who comes to a dynamic personal faith in God during graduate studies in literature at Oxford University.
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Beautifully Written book
- By Adam Shields on 10-11-22
By: Carolyn Weber
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- By: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.” At eight years old, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age - and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. But years later, she learns about love for herself and the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors.
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Emotional & Powerful
- By Miss Toni on 06-30-13
By: Maya Angelou
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The Young Clementina
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 10 hrs
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Charlotte Dean enjoys nothing more than the solitude of her London flat and the monotonous days of her work at a travel bookshop. But when her younger sister unceremoniously bursts into her quiet life one afternoon, Charlotte's world turns topsy-turvy. Beloved author D. E. Stevenson captures the intricacies of post-World War I England with a light, comic touch that perfectly embodies the spirit of the time. Alternatively heartbreaking and witty, The Young Clementina is a touching tale of love, loss and redemption through friendship.
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Miss Dean's Dilemma
- By Jerri C on 05-02-18
By: D. E. Stevenson
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Demian
- The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth
- By: Hermann Hesse
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
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Here is the dramatic story of young, docile Emil Sinclair's descent - led by precocious schoolmate Max Demian - into a secret and dangerous world of petty crime and revolt against convention and eventual awakening to selfhood.
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Demian
- By Debra on 12-08-08
By: Hermann Hesse
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Cousin Phillis
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Joe Marsh
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Cousin Phillis – a miniature masterpiece – is set in the 1840s, when the coming of the railway was changing the face of England, and quiet rural communities, coming into contact with the outside world, were changed forever. The story focuses on the effect these changes have on a naïve country girl, Phillis, as she encounters love, with all its pains and pleasures, for the first time.
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Delicate Story
- By Mama C on 01-08-11
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What listeners say about The Great Passion
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- plantman
- 07-15-24
Compelling tale
Great narration and insights into Bach’s music and life during the enlightenment. I’m ready to listen to sr Matthew’s passion now.
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- Silas Booker
- 06-06-22
The Great Passion
This story puts a person in Leipzig during Bach time so well you feel like you are there and experiencing being with the great cantor.
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- Ellen Cormier
- 04-21-22
Wonderful book, wonderful reading
Probably one of the best performances I’ve listened to. Thank you Pip Torrens. To James Runcie, I am looking forward to a movie version so I can hear the music.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sally T. Warthen
- 07-04-22
For music lovers.
Required listen for Bach lovers, especially those who have performed the St. Matthew Passion. The story of its creation from the point of view of a homesick but very talented choirboy who is befriended by the Bach family. Wonderful performance.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Adenike A. Adebiyi
- 01-12-24
Importance of being occupied with passion
I felt like I was part of Bach’s household after listening to this book. The story is so good, and the narrator is excellent.
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- Tim McGreer
- 11-24-23
Simple Riveting!
The setting is one of a character being introduced to a real person; in this case Johann Sebastian Bach. The life of the character, Stephan Silverman intertwines with the personhood, family, and music of Bach that allows one to imagine they actually get to know this arguable greatest musical composer of all time; as they would if they were his close friend. Bach’s belief in Christ Jesus and his familiarity and command of the Word of God would have made him a great preacher. But God must have had other plans for Bach. And that was to put onto paper the music God put into his mind. The narration is exquisite. The story is destined for a movie.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Elizabeth C. White
- 10-19-23
Life Changing
As a musician and music teacher, I was so moved to see and hear the great J S Bach in relationship to his family and church and students. The writing and story are both tender and wise, full of believable conflict and character. Bravo!
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1 person found this helpful
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- R Rothberg
- 01-28-24
A fascinating book that drew me in
The narration of this book was excellent, and it drew me in to hear this fascinating story. The writing felt rooted in the time and culture of Bach's life.
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- sherri l hughes
- 04-13-22
One of the Best Novels about Music I’ve Ever Encountered
James Runcie has given us a remarkable gift, giving Johann Sebastian Bach a real voice in a novel. And Pip Torrens characterizations of Bach, his family, and the people of Leipzig are well wrought. I found it to be a deeply moving experience listening to this audio book. I hope you enjoy it too.
It will be helpful if you have some musical background to fully appreciate The Great Passion. Yet it is really a wonderful story of faith, grief, and
love, and how through the making music — and listening to it — our lives are made better.
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- Ellen Browne
- 06-20-22
Gave color to Bach’s life
I’ll never listen to Bach’s music in the same way. Wonderful narration. Thank you. Highly recommend this story.
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