Buxtehude - Membra Jesu Nostri

Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707) Membra Jesu nostri Tuesday 24 November, 8pm Chapelle Royale Duration: 1h30 without interval Composed in 1680 to a medieval text by Arnulf of Louvain, Dietrich Buxtehude's Membra Jesu nostri form a cycle of seven cantatas devoted to the body of Christ on the cross.

Unusual in the repertoire of the 17th century, the work stands out for its writing, at once spare and highly theatrical: each cantata meditates on one of the wounds of the crucified Christ, progressing from the feet up to the face, and places the listener beside the cross, in a direct relationship with the suffering Christ.

The Membra Jesu nostri, which invite recollection and contemplation, thus belong to the Lutheran spirituality of the period after the Thirty Years' War, where music becomes an occasion for an experience of the sacred that is at once individual and deeply embodied.