The Lapse of Time is an oratorio based on strikingly poetic excerpts from Darwin's revolutionary book On the Origin of Species, composed by the Norwegian composer Bjørn Morten Christophersen. The work is a tribute to the evolution of life on earth and intended for musical sharing between natural science, religion and art.

The Lapse of Time is a large-scale musical drama in which two soloists, choir and orchestra move through slow-building waves from the barely audible to magnificent climaxes. The work is full of life: we really feel the crawl and crabbing within the orchestra while the singers chant an astonishingly poetic text, taking its origin into consideration. Profound, playful, dramatic and humorous passages are woven together in a large organic musical course.

The Lapse of Time also has a sacred flavour to it by involving both the church organ and mimics of plainchant. Through this work, Christophersen hopes to create a basis for shared wonder and excitement between natural science and religion. Christophersen has set music to excerpts from The Origin of Species after carefully adapting them into singable phrases. Nevertheless, nothing is added, we hear only Darwin's own words in this oratorio.