The Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (first a Christian church, then a mosque) and the Mezquita in Córdoba (first a mosque and then a Christian church) have something in common: they are a symbol that it is possible outside of claims to power, with mutual respect for dignity to recognize and tolerate man's variants of belief in God. Córdoba is a sign of the future, of an interreligious time in which global integration is only possible if one respects those who believe and think differently. Tolerance secures our future. Robert M. Helmschrott was inspired by these buildings for the two organ works HAGIA SOPHIA and CÓRDOBA.
EX ORIENTE LUX points to the progenitor Abraham, the “father of many nations” (Genesis 17, 4 f.). Abraham occupies a central position in the Tanach, the Old Testament, because, according to tradition, the "Twelve Tribes of Israel" and thus also Jesus of Nazareth descended from him. The Abraham of Islam and his son Ishmael, in turn, are considered the forefathers of the Arabs and ancestors of the Prophet Mohammed. Judaism, Christianity and Islam refer to Abraham as their ancestor.
These three organ works are musically based on historical circumstances. LA FENÊTRE SUR L'ÉTERNITÉ completes these reflections and visions in the mirror of infinite reality. Seen in this way, this cycle also has an interreligious dimension.
All four works were commissioned by the organist Franz Hauk.