March 2, 2025
7:30 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church
Lexington, KY

We invite you to share in a journey of musical discovery that encompasses literature from the 16th through the 21st centuries. As we trace the liturgical path followed by composers from G. P. da Palestrina to J. S. Bach and beyond, we will perform music for the seasons of Epiphany and Lent created by composers who wrote these works to enhance their congregation’s observation of the seasons of the church year.
 

Our March 2 program includes two notable milestones. First is J. S. Bach’s Cantata 127, titled “Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott” (Lord Jesus Christ, true man and God), written and performed in 1725. The Kentucky Bach Choir, along with our gifted orchestra, treasures the opportunity to perform this cantata on the 300-year anniversary of its Leipzig premiere. An opportunity for audience participation will be given as we sing the first verse of the chorale together before the performance begins.
 

A second significant milestone is honored in our March 2 nd program. We celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Italian composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina with a performance of his Stabat Mater, a setting of the 13 th -century hymn to the Virgin Mary which portrays the mother’s agony during the crucifixion of her son. Our a cappella performance of Pierluigi’s double-choir setting is an impassioned reminder of the impending liturgical season of Lent followed by Holy Week. We will also perform three movements from Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem in D minor. The program title, Light Eternal, Light Perpetual, is in reference to the stunning musical portrayal of eternal and perpetual light in the Agnus Dei movement of the Requiem.
 

Binding us all together, both audience and performers, is the majestic and inspirational
music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Vicki Bell
Guest Conductor, 

Kentucky Bach Choir