Mein Herr und mein Gott

This work by Pēteris Vasks is a setting of a prayer by the Swiss ascetic and mystic Niklaus von Flüe (1417–1487) which he is said to have recited daily. In three lines each introduced with the words ‘My Lord and my God’, the author struggles with their closeness to God. The framing verses are both in a meditative pp, whereas the music ascends to a climax of ff during the central section (‘give me everything that brings me closer to you!’). Following a general pause and a renewed section in pp, the musical prayer closes with the words ‘detach me from myself to give my all to you’ in a long sustained and peaceful C Major.