“Sand and Foam” by William Knight (b.1987) sets selected aphorisms from Kahlil Gibran to music, inviting reflection on humanity’s creation, fall, and the quiet inevitability of the end. In Knight’s vision, life and death are inseparable, and after we are gone the traces of our existence are ultimately washed away “betwixt the sand and the foam.” “Missa pro defunctis” by Victor Kioulaphides (b.1961) retells the Requi-em’s promise of eternal peace, aiming to leave the listener with serenity rather than spectacle. Het Nederlands Bach Consort is known for courageous, experimental Bach-rooted programming that translates social trends into accessible, never-easy performances and commissions from both established and emerging composers.