David Dalle
Thursday April 14th, 2022 with David Dalle
Passion music according to me: Bach, Egypt, Stephan Micus, Armenia, Sigur Ros.

For my annual show before Good Friday, I draw upon the incredibly rich tradition of music for and inspired by the Passion story, as well as unexpected music which I find fits the theme. This year, the program is based around the Lutheran hymn "Christ Lag in Todesbanden" (Christ lay in death's bond) as used by Bach. The first hour begins with a straight setting originally thought to be by Bach, but actually by Pachelbel, arranged for the piano, and ends with his wonderfully intense early cantata based on the hymn. It is a strict chorale cantata in that the hymn is heard in every movement. This is a very dramatic and grief-laden cantata with tremendous momentum driving it forwards. In between, we hear Anna Thorvalsdottir's exquisite Passion-based work "Ad genua" based on Bach's hero Deiterich Buxtehude's 1680 Passion cantata "Membra Jesu Nostri". This work "To the knees" recounts Christ's fear as he is marched to the site of his crucifixion. The text is by Icelandic writer Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir: I fall to my knees I fall I fall I fall to my knees and ask forgiveness for lazy thoughts, unseemly hunger and the beautiful, wild stampede of my fear I fall to my knees I fall I fall I fall to my knees and into the dark haze of the purple, innocent sky I fall deep into the sky and beg for clarity, true satisfaction and union of the soul I give myself up I give I give up I fall to my knees I fall I fall As a hidden Easter egg, I submerged Bach's chorale in the first set underlying some of the other music.