Épanchement. An Advent picture for the organ

In a few days, the Advent season begins once again. It is traditionally a quiet time of the year when Christian all over the world prepare for Christmas.

At its core is the anticipation of the Redeemer, believed in Christian faith to be fulfilled with the birth of Jesus Christ in the Bethlehem stable. Indeed: Jesus Christ as the newborn child is the reason of the season.

Various images and symbols are associated with the longing connected to this waiting. Among them is the desert with its aridity, and the dew and rain that come from the heavens—an image that takes on contemporary significance in the face of climate change.

Stefan Bodemann’s new piece for the organ captures this desert-rain symbol through musical means. In doing so, it employs a motif from a Gregorian Chant, Rorate Coeli, traditionally sung on the fourth Sunday of Advent to commence the Catholic Mass celebration. The French title Épanchement means »gush«.