Longing For the Light

On a cold winter’s eve, indulge your senses in a musical feast for the soul. We yearn for the dawn in the lush music of McDermid’s De Profundis, as the majestic Our Father by Russia’s Gretchaninoff reassures us that “heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.” Tender yet complex, Tavener wrote The Lamb for his nephew Simon on his 3rd birthday, setting poetry from Blake’s “Songs of Innocence.” Your senses will bask in the watery depths and shimmering beauty of Eric Whitacre’s Water Night, as hearts soar to the gorgeous music of Agnus Dei in Kenneth Jennings’ choral setting of Elgar’s famous Nimrod from the Enigma Variations. From Norway comes the luminous Sunrise Mass by Ola Gjeilo. With virtuoso strings, this four part work captures the beauty of sunrise in a metaphysical journey from heaven to earth. Music by Stanford and Clausen round out a glorious program as we celebrate the triumph of light over darkness in the lovely Nativity Catholic Church.