From the composer’s notes:
For me, the nativity story – however literally one addresses its mix of anecdotal, historical, mythical and blurred-by-time details – carries a very powerful, universal message. It tells of a poor mother and her child, in difficult, fragile circumstances, seeking refuge in an unfamiliar place. They are not reduced to a footnote of the tale but elevated to the very point and purpose of it. The smallest, least important people, usually at the edge of the frame, stand centre-stage. Power is transferred from a mighty empire to a child.