Bach, the Universe and Everything: First Light

'Protect us against war and precarious times' pleads a cantata haunted by suffering and hope. Everything began in darkness, then the first light emerged to shape the universe we inhabit today. Inspired by the music of the composer and intergalactic genius, Bach, the Universe and Everything takes audiences on a cosmic adventure in which music meets astronomy.

In a concert series with a difference, expect awe, beauty and big ideas from Bach, the Universe and Everything. The new year begins with one of JS Bach's most dramatic cantatas from 1724, his first year in Leipzig. Drawing on themes of destruction, suffering and deliverance, an expansive orchestral palette features four trombones (including the rare soprano instrument) who innovatively develop their own independent voices beyond their traditional role of doubling the choir. At its heart are three arias, culminating in a profoundly soul-searching duet for the soprano and alto soloists.

Stephen Wilkins traces back 14 billion years to uncover how the first stars, black holes and galaxies emerged from the cosmic dark ages when space was filled with gas and dark matter. This distant epoch has long been out of reach, but the James Webb Space Telescope is now beginning to reveal it in unprecedented detail. Stephen Wilkins is Professor of Astronomy and Public Understanding of Science at the University of Sussex.

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 Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott (Take away from us, Lord, faithful God), BWV 101
Richard Dering Ave virgo gloriosa

Performers:
Stephen Wilkins speaker
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Steven Devine music director