J.S. Bach: Magnificat, BWV 243 - Helmschrott: Lumen

Shortly after taking up the position of Thomaskantor in Leipzig in 1723, Bach wrote a Magnificat in E flat major for performance at Christmas. Around a decade later he revised the work, transposing it down to D major and making it more concise. Utilizing a Biblical text, the piece is suffused with a series of memorable arias and choruses and orchestrated with spectacular grandeur. Lumen is a contemporary musical dialogue that urges empathy between the three Abrahamic religions. Translating the oratorio form into a ‘unity of diversity,’ Robert M. Helmschrott has converted the poetry of the Old and New Testaments, the Torah and Qur’an into an interfaith ‘language of sounds and singing.’