Greek villagers under Turkish rule are preparing to put on a pious Passion Play when suddenly they are overwhelmed by starving refugees desperate for protection. Based on the novel Christ Recrucified, Bohuslav Martinů’s powerful opera got derailed six decades ago en route to its planned London premiere. Instead, it premiered in revised form in Zurich, with Glade Peterson as the combative yet Christlike shepherd Manolios, Sandra Warfield as the compassionate young widow Katerina, James Pease as the hypocritical local priest Grigoris, and Heinz Borst as Fotis, the leader of the refugees. Paul Sacher, a historic patron of new music, presided on the podium. With waves of asylum seekers at our Southern borders, The Greek Passion may seem, to an American audience, almost too close for comfort. Expect the production, by the incendiary Simon Stone, to drive home the most uncomfortable parallels. Maxime Pascale conducts. Sebastian Kohlhepp is Manolios, with Sara Jakubiak as Katerina, Gábir Bretz as Grigoris, and Łukasz Goliński as Fotis. Here’s hoping this is the revival that puts The Greek Passion on the map. —Matthew Gurewitsch