It's a well-known parable: a local man is ambushed by robbers on his descent from the Temple in Jerusalem to the Dead Sea and is rescued by an outsider, a Samaritan, whose holy Hill is elsewhere. The parable is told to a lawyer seeking guidance on Divine Law, and he gets a new perspective on what it means to love his 'neighbour'.
Bach's three cantatas on the Parable take different perspectives. The first (1723) begins with a complex canon to emphasise the importance of the First Commandment. The second (1924) allegorises the Parable, taking the Samaritan as the Divine Saviour. And, the third (1725) emphasises the command to love one's neighbour, friend or foe, Christian or no.
Nigel Butterley, in a cameo 'The True Samaritan', also takes the Parable as allegory of the saving of humankind, fallen on the descending road.
Pierre de Manchicourt's Mass is based on a 15th century song with lyrics that reverse the lawyer's question, asking if God's investment in humankind sufficiently warrants eternal reward.
The program is half an hour shorter than usual.