JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH : Magnificat in D Major

REENA ESMAIL: This Love Between Us: Prayers for Unity (West Coast Premiere)

“J.S. Bach’s Magnificat is a majestic musical manifestation of the impulse to rejoice. The Baroque masterpiece was an ambitious statement made by the composer at the time and is widely hailed as one of his most joyous and expansive works. Magnificat directly influenced contemporary Los Angeles composer Reena Esmail who wrote This Love Between Us: Prayers for Unity specifically to be paired with it. In her piece, Esmail juxtaposes words from the seven major religious traditions of India (Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Islam) to explore how they each approach the topics of unity, harmony, and of being kind to one another, aka, “The Golden Rule.””

Grant Gershon, conductor

Julia Metzler, Soprano II Soloist