Redemption is a cycle of works based on a theme meditated upon by turn-of the-century American seer Edgar Cayce, namely the story of humanity's spiritual fall and redemption seen through the various lives of this story's protagonist, the Master soul that in its latest incarnation on earth was known as Yeshua of Nazareth. In variance with Christian orthodox doctrine, Cayce sees Christ not as a nature separate from humanity but as a pattern to be won by every soul desiring to be reunited with its source during its various journeys through materiality. Conceived and implemented at the beginning of time in order to free humanity from its bondage in materiality, the soul/pattern 'Christ' is identified with Biblical personages such as Adam, Enoch, Melchizedek, Joseph, Joshua (Moses' right hand), Asaph (King David's psalmist), but also with other personages outside the Judeo-Christian tradition, such as Amilius (the first human manifestation on earth as an energy/spirit projection), Hermes (the builder of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh according to Cayce), and Zend (the father of Zarathustra and founder of the Zoroastrian religion), among approximately 20 other incarnations which Cayce did not specifically mention. The careful study of these individuals and the esoteric traditions that have sprung forth around them gives rise to a fascinating cosmological, ethical and soteriological discourse that may help us see these age-old religious traditions in a completely new light and ascribe new relevance to them for our troubled times.
In contrast to the cosmic personalities of the earlier books in the Redemption cycle (Amilius, Adam, Hermes/Enoch, Melchizedek), the personalities that form the subject of Redemption: Book 3 are considerably more 'human', signifying a new phase of the 'Christ' pattern which actively engages with history, often quite aggressively, culminating in the singular act of self-sacrifice that defines the 'Christ' pattern as a whole and as the only pattern that will ultimately enable the fallen angels – us – to exit materiality. The musical depiction of these characters and their stories is not programmatic. Each movement focuses on one aspect of their personality and is a meditation on this aspect. The same, or similar, themes proliferate throughout the entire cycle and act as leitmotifs. The central leitmotif is borrowed from the opening measures of Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, the sudden modulation from C-major to C-minor symbolising the Fall and the reverse modulation from C-minor to C-major symbolising Redemption.
This captivating work is one you will want to hear again and again.
