Aurelia Shimkus wanted to create a selection of works that would best illustrate Bach’s relationship to the divine sphere. Because prayers are the best way to communicate and get in touch with the divine, she decided to put together a programme that would seem like one big prayer and named it after the Chorale Prelude No. 5 “Ich ruf’ zu dir” (I call yo tou). The pieces of the programme are grouped together by their tonal relationships – this allowed Shimkus to combine music from different times and epochs, consolidating them into one large work of prayer.
