A favorite German chorale, as treated by composers from the 17th through the 20th centuries, provides this program’s through-thread. Philipp Nicolai’s 1599 hymn Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (“Zion Hears the Watchmen Singing”), which traditionally hails the arrival of the Advent season, takes as its basis the Parable of the Ten Virgins, which reminds believers to prepare for the Lord’s arrival or suffer the consequences. Around multiple iterations of Wachet auf—including pieces for diverse forces by Franz Tunder, Dietrich Buxtehude, J. S.  Bach, and Hugo Distler—this program includes other seasonal music for voices and instruments by the German Baroque masters Heinrich Schütz and Nicolaus Bruhns.

Featured artists:
Erica Schuller, soprano
Michael Skarke, alto
Thomas O’Neill, tenor
Tzvi Bat Asherah, bass
Matthew Dirst, organ