Petr Eben (1929 - 2007) was inspired to write this work by the account in Mark's Gospel of an encounter between Christ and a man indwelt by a legion of demons. The Lord exercised his power to banish the demons and free the man from his enslavement. Eben was struck by the conflict between the forces of light and of darkness in the story, and depicts the struggle musically in this piece.
As I record this, we are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic - a struggle, not against spiritual forces, but against a virus. I would like to dedicate this performance to my friends who are on the front lines of this battle: those who are caring, as Christ did, for the ill and infirm. May God protect you and give you his peace as you minister to those in need.
I recorded this using my own custom modification to the Metz, using additional stops from free Sonus Paradisi sets.