The Crossing, led by conductor Donald Nally, is set to return to Philadelphia for a June 14 world premiere of Gavin Bryars’ “The Last Days of Immanuel Kant.”

The relationship between the renowned British composer and The Crossing is intimate, collaborative, and productive and this time Bryars turns to the insightful, melancholy recollections of Thomas De Quincy as he describes the last days of Immanuel Kant.

Bryars’ new concert-length work adds significantly to the contemporary choral canon. In it, The Crossing returns to the topic of aging and the observation of those who move gracefully from strength to memory loss to the inevitable.

In a statement, Donald Nally said, “This is a story of our time, of Kant’s time, of all time; a story, told, in De Quincy’s words and Gavin’s music, with hope and care, patience and love. A musical offering composed by an 80-year-old man about an 80-years-old man. It is a story that reminds us of our own ephemeral existence and celebrates that very aspect of our being.”

The concert will take place at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia.

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