Bach, the Universe and Everything: Finding Grace

Are you ready? The Advent edition of Bach, the Universe and Everything asks a timeless question: how do we respond when we are challenged to change and grow? In a concert series with a difference, audiences are taken on a cosmic adventure in which music meets astronomy.

Inspired by the music of JS Bach, composer and intergalactic genius, Bach, the Universe and Everything takes audiences on a cosmic adventure in which music meets astronomy. Expect awe, beauty and big ideas.

Every era faces moments when the old certainties no longer hold. Bach's cantatas were composed for audiences living through their own social and personal upheavals, exploring themes of reckoning, resilience and renewal that still resonate today.

Written during his third year in Leipzig, Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben (BWV 102) was one of the rare cantatas to remain in circulation in the decades immediately after Bach's death. It was championed by his son CPE Bach and published earlier than many of the other cantatas. This is Bach at his most compelling: from the powerful, sculpted opening chorus to the theatrical flair of its solo arias.

This season also features motets by the English composer Richard Dering (c. 1580–1630). A Catholic convert, he spent much of his career working in continental Europe before returning to England in 1625 to serve in the court of Queen Henrietta Maria. Dering's music bridged the Renaissance and Baroque styles.

Programme:
JS Bach Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben (Lord, your eyes look for faith), BWV 102
Richard Dering Quem vidistis, pastores?

Performers:
TBA guest speaker
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Steven Devine music director