Cyrill Schürch O sacrum convivium

This is how the composer presents the "coming glory" which, according to the text, is experienced in Holy Communion (the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist): magnificent, solemn, exalted, and exuberant. To achieve this, Schürch exploits the polychoral compositional techniques of the late Renaissance to the full. He combines these with syncopated rhythmic overlayerings which inject energy into the repeated upswings leading to the grandiose concluding Halleluja. With its colorful sonority and dynamic range from pianissimo to a tremendous fortissimo, the piece is effective in concert performance or in competition.