This program traces how composers use music to explore our deepest responses to the world — grief and wonder, chaos and order, sorrow and joy.

The journey begins in darkness and disorder: Purcell’s Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary confronts mortality, while Rebel’s Les Élémens erupts from a single “Chaos” chord, giving form to Earth, Air, Fire, and Water — elemental forces whose turbulent beginnings echo the disorder and beauty of human life.

At the program’s center, Kaija Saariaho’s Nuits, Adieu evokes transformation, impermanence, and reflection through whispering voices and shifting harmonies. Sandström’s expansion of Purcell’s Hear My Prayer, O Lord gradually intensifies, layering voices and harmonies to convey human hope and resilience. The program culminates in Bach’s festive Cantata No. 214, a joyful celebration of life, energy, and the enduring human spirit.