Blaise Pascal, 17th century mathematician and theologian, melds the scientific with the religious in his work, Pensées. In a new commission for Variant 6, Boston-based composer Jeremy Gill sets excerpts from Blaise's enigmatic texts, highlighting the threads of doubt that make up the tapestry of faith. Variant 6 pairs this world premiere with other music that contemplates devoutness and doubt during troubling times. Among these are selections from Claude Le Jeune's monumental and unusual Renaissance work, the Dodecacorde, which set Psalms of Davids in all twelve modes in complex rhythmic counterpoint. 

PROGRAM

Jeremy Gill - Six Pensées de Pascal (World Premiere, 2018) 
Francis Poulenc - Un soir de neige (1944), Salve Regina (1941), Tenebrae factae sunt (1938)
James MacMillan - selections from Strathclyde Motets (2005-2010)
Claude LeJeune - selections from Dodecacorde (1598)