Peter Gabriel - Passion

Yes, Passion began as the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's controversial 1988 film 'The Last Temptation of Christ.' Gabriel worked on the score for several months, utilizing electronic instruments blended with ancient acoustics. The album was released a year later in 1989 as a fully realized, expanded studio project.

The album features an incredible roster of world musicians, including Pakistani qawwali legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Senegalese star Youssou N'Dour, and Armenian duduk player Djivan Gasparyan. Gabriel recorded these artists at his Real World Studios. It was a groundbreaking collaborative effort that brought global sounds to Western audiences.

Yes, Peter Gabriel's Passion won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album in 1990. It is often considered one of the first major releases on the Real World Records label. Its critical success helped validate the concept of world music as a commercially viable genre in the West.

The sound of Passion is defined by a heavy use of Middle Eastern and North African percussion, such as the daf, frame drums, and the tabla. It also relies heavily on the haunting sound of the Armenian duduk, a double-reed woodwind instrument. Gabriel blended these ancient acoustic textures with his signature atmospheric synthesizers.