Works by Schütz, Brahms, and Arvo Pärt complement two of Bach’s unique early works (Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, BWV 150; and Der Herr denket an uns, BWV 196), highlighting Bach’s lineage from the 17th-century to the present.

The heartfelt tone of Bach’s early masterpiece, Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106 is reflected in the sonorous compassion of Herbert Howell’s Requiem, and the comfort of Dolly Parton’s Light of a Clear Blue Morning, arranged for chorus by Craig Hella Johnson.

Bach’s most famous early cantata, Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4, is paired with his joyful motet, Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden, BWV 230. Music by Kurt Nystedt, Caroline Shaw, and the winners of Cerddorion’s Emerging Composers Competition reimagine Bach’s legacy in a colorful contemporary context.