composition: Peer Baierlein
Commissioned work for the Jüdische Kultusgemeinde Dresden (Chair: Kai Lautenschläger)
Premiere: 13 November 2026, Frauenkirche Dresden
Performers:
Ensemble Ponticello - cond. Michael Nestler
Two choirs - cond. Robert Schad
Shani Oshri — solo soprano
Niklas Jahn — organ
The piece is conceived as an artistic dialogue between Jewish and Christian faith, connecting past, present, and future through music.
1. Anchor Point of the Composition: The Night of Broken Glass (9 November 1938)
The date of the Reichspogromnacht falls almost simultaneously with the date of the project's first concert on 13 November 2026 at the Frauenkirche Dresden. The original idea was even to hold it on exactly 9 November.
On the night of 9 November 1938, more than 1,400 synagogues were destroyed — including the organs in those houses of worship.
This historical reference serves as the emotional and musical point of departure.
2. Structure of the Choirs
The singers are divided into two choirs and placed spatially apart:
3. Musical Concept
The starting point is Joachim Neander's chorale "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation" (1680) — a free Christian paraphrase of Psalm 150. From there, the composition leads back to the source: the Jewish original text in direct translation from the Hebrew.
I. Neander's praise of a majestic God — King, Almighty, Creator — opens the work. The chorale carries the character of personal devotion and communal celebration.
II. From within the chorale, the original text emerges: Psalm 150 in direct translation from the Hebrew. A single voice detaches itself from the collective.
III. This voice stands as a representative of the cantor in Jewish worship. In dialogue with the organ, it sings fragments of the prayer "Adon Olam" — one of the most significant prayers in Jewish liturgy. No longer a call to action, no longer a jubilant ensemble. "The Lord is with me, I shall not fear." God existed before all time, remains after all things — and is nonetheless a personal companion.
Yet this song does not sound in peace. It carries the knowledge of what is approaching: the persecution of the Jews, the rise of National Socialism. Adon Olam becomes a premonition — sung in the shadow of the Night of Broken Glass.
IV. The night of 9 November 1938. More than 1,400 synagogues are burned to the ground. With them are destroyed not only the Jewish houses of worship, but also the organs of the liberal and Reform synagogues — instruments that had stood for a unique German-Jewish musical tradition since the early 19th century. The organ falls gradually silent. The fire grows louder. It spreads everywhere.
V. From the fire, the finale emerges — not a triumph, but an attempt at reconciliation. Both traditions unite in the shared singing of "Adon Olam", which also traditionally concludes the Jewish service. What was previously whispered by a single voice is now carried by all — Christians and Jews, choir and congregation, one voice from two sources. The text remains the same, yet its meaning expands: the personal trust of the individual becomes a universal confession. "Lord of the World" / "Adon Olam" — not as the possession of one tradition, but as a shared recognition.
4. Summary
The composition Kiddusch – Credo connects:
