Easter Concert
Aivis Greters
Oslo Philharmonic Choir Johannes Brahms
Igor Stravinsky
Pēteris Vasks
Herman Vogt

Herman Vogt (b. 1976) drew the title of his orchestral work Light Shall Shine Out of Darkness from the Second Letter to the Corinthians in the Bible. The metaphor of light is central to the piece, referencing Jesus, his disciples, and the act of creation. The work was commissioned by the Oslo Philharmonic.

It consists of five movements, with titles inspired by the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and various biblical texts. The final movement, Our Lasting Peace; May He Find Rest in Me, is structured as a prayer.

Pēteris Vasks (b. 1946) remained a well-kept secret in his homeland until Latvia gained independence in 1991. In the decades since, listeners around the world have discovered his unique blend of Latvian folk music, minimalism, and spiritual themes.

Vasks composed The Fruit of Silence in 2013, setting a prayer by Mother Teresa: “The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace.”

In the summer of 1868, Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) visited a friend in Oldenburg. Early one morning, he browsed his friend’s bookshelf and came across a volume of poetry by Friedrich Hölderlin. The poem Hyperions Schicksalslied, taken from the novel Hyperion, left a deep impression on him.

That same day, Brahms sketched what would later become his Schicksalslied for choir and orchestra, completed three years later. The poem contrasts the blissful existence of the divine with humanity’s suffering, and Brahms’ music mirrors this contrast with striking intensity.

“Lord, hear my prayer and listen to my cry; do not be deaf to my tears! For I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my ancestors were.” These words from Psalm 39 open Symphony of Psalms by Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971).

During the 1920s, Stravinsky experienced a renewed and deepened connection to his Christian faith after years of distance. His Symphony of Psalms (1930), based on texts from Psalms 39, 40, and 150, stands as one of his most distinctive and personal compositions.