The Salvation EP, excerpted from the oratorio The Gospel According to Mark, includes a number of movements of what I call ‘instructive’ text. This is clearly heard in the movement ‘The Greatest Commandment’, which paints an aural picture grounded in a repeating figure representing the question being asked, and a chorale-like section which represents the answer to the greatest commandment. ‘The Abomination of Desolation’ is one of the more aggressive movements in the oratorio. Bellicose and highly unstable metrically, this movement is filled with warnings that foretell and warn of future trials and tribulations. In contrast, the contrapuntally flowing ‘The Coming’ takes a very limited amount of text and extends it through the entire movement. Although filled with beautiful linear lines, there is a restlessness provided by the asymmetric metres that these melodies flow across. ‘No One Knows the Hour’ is a very lyrical and serene piece that features tenor Carman Price. Probably one of the most mediative of the oratorio, it provides a crystalline foundation for the text to flow over. ‘Jesus Foretells the Betrayal by Judas’ is a dramatic piece that begins with an allusion to the 7/8 motif heard previously, which soon harmonically gives way to the darkness motif. This movement acts as a bookend to this EP as it prepares the listener for the final section of the oratorio with Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. The listener can hear this as the music becomes increasingly agitated as the revelation of the betrayal nears and becomes more specific.