As our second season is beginning, we revisit the masterwork Christian selected for his first moment, but this time we look at the very beginning. The cantata Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland is the regal music for the first week of the liturgical year, but its overture is more than just pomp and circumstance. If we delve into the first few seconds, we will find that the music is all shaped by the Advent theme of preparation and the divine coming down to be human. Advertisers blast Christmas music at us every year -- why not prepare for the yearly holiday season with this Advent cantata instead?

BWV 61 Overture: https://youtu.be/MzWJsRjanC4