Reflections on a Chorale of Bach

The chorale “Valet will ich dir geben,” incorporated within Reflections, is from Bach’s St. John Passion and catalogued as #30 in the Riemenschneider collection of Bach chorales. About midway through Reflections, the chorale makes its appearance in the brass, then is joined by the strings with Bach’s harmonies and strict voice leading. Its beautiful simplicity and inevitable harmonic pull toward the closing chord of rest – within the typical choral 12-measure format – is inspiring in itself and instills a sense of religious fervor even without the text. Reflections on a Chorale of Bach was commissioned and premiered by the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra on October 13, 2002, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Stillwater, MN.