Papal Concert of Reconciliation
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The Papal Concert of Reconciliation was a historic musical event in the pontificate of
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
. The concert took place in the Paul VI Auditorium at the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
on January 17, 2004, in the presence of the Pontiff, Rav
Elio Toaff Elio Toaff (30 April 1915 – 19 April 2015) was the Chief Rabbi of Rome from 1951 to 2002. He served as a rabbi in Venice from 1947, and in 1951 became the Chief Rabbi of Rome. Early life Toaff was born in Livorno in 1915, the son of the city ...
, the Emeritus Chief Rabbi of Rome, and Abdulawahab Hussein Gomaa, the Imam of the
Mosque of Rome The Mosque of Rome ( it, Moschea di Roma), situated in Parioli, Rome, Italy, is the largest mosque in the Western world in terms of land area. It has an area of and can accommodate more than 12,000 people. The building is located in the ''Acqu ...
, and an audience of 7,000 invited guests. The concert also followed the first visit to the Vatican of Israel's two chief rabbis, both of whom attended the concert. It was conceived, created, and conducted by Sir
Gilbert Levine Sir Gilbert Levine, GCSG (born January 22, 1948) is an American conductor. He is considered an "outstanding personality in the world of international music television." He has led the PBS concert debuts of the Staatskapelle Dresden, Royal Phi ...
, whose previous musical collaborations with the Pope, including the Papal Concert to Commemorate the
Shoah The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ar ...
in 1994 with the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...
and the Concert for the Pope's 80th Birthday in 2000 with the
Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, W ...
, among others, had earned him the sobriquet "The Pope's Maestro." In realizing the concert, Levine sought to fulfill the Pontiff's wish to reach out to the followers of the
Abrahamic faiths The Abrahamic religions are a group of religions centered around worship of the God of Abraham. Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch, is extensively mentioned throughout Abrahamic religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran. Jewish tradition ...
(
Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
,
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
, and
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
), as part of the celebrations dedicated to the 25th anniversary of his pontificate. The concert was webcast and broadcast on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
and internationally, as well as released on DVD. It brought together performers from across the globe, including the
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District, Pittsburgh, Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Sy ...
, which became the first American orchestra to perform at the Vatican for a Pope, the
London Philharmonic Choir The London Philharmonic Choir (LPC) is one of the leading independent British choirs in the United Kingdom based in London. The patron is Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy and Sir Mark Elder is president. The choir, comprising more than ...
, the Krakow Philharmonic Choir, the Ankara State Polyphonic Choir, and members of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, as well as vocal soloists
Ruth Ziesak Ruth Ziesak (born 9 February 1963) is a German soprano in opera and concert. Career Ruth Ziesak studied voice at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts with Elsa Cavelti and Christoph Prégardien. She has been a member of the M ...
and Birgit Remmert, both from Germany. The Pittsburgh Symphony, which Levine selected for the occasion, has described the Papal Concert of Reconciliation as an "unprecedented opportunity which remains one of the most significant events in the PSO's history." The concert also marked that orchestra's first known appearance on PBS after an absence of more than 20 years, dating back to the "Previn and the Pittsburgh" PBS series, which ran from 1977-1980. In an effort to sustain the extraordinary level of enthusiasm shown by Pittsburgh natives for the Vatican performance, the Pittsburgh Symphony, at Levine's initiative, subsequently developed a concert series called "Music for the Spirit." Levine conducted the first three concerts in this series:
Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
in
Heinz Hall Heinz Hall is a performing arts center and concert hall located at 600 Penn Avenue in the Cultural District, Pittsburgh, Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and the Pittsburgh Youth Sym ...
,
Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...
"
Creation Creation may refer to: Religion *''Creatio ex nihilo'', the concept that matter was created by God out of nothing * Creation myth, a religious story of the origin of the world and how people first came to inhabit it * Creationism, the belief tha ...
" in Cathedral of Saint Paul (Pittsburgh), and
Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...
Symphony No. 3 in Heinz Hall. The Pittsburgh Symphony has continued the series in subsequent years.


Program

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, with the support of the
Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...
, commissioned American composer
John Harbison John Harris Harbison (born December 20, 1938) is an American composer, known for his symphonies, operas, and large choral works. Life John Harris Harbison was born on December 20, 1938, in Orange, New Jersey, to the historian Elmore Harris Harb ...
, winner of the
Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted i ...
, to write a sacred motet "Abraham," for double chorus and brass, which received its world premiere at this concert. The major work on the program was Mahler Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection."Resurrection
/ref> Harbison dedicated the work "to His Holiness Pope John Paul II in honor of his pontificate-long dedication to fostering reconciliation of the people of Abraham -- Jews, Christians, and Muslims -- and with deep gratitude to Maestro Sir Gilbert Levine, KCSG, for his 15-year-long creative collaboration with His Holiness, which led to the great honor of this commission." The text of the piece, taken from
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
17 reads: "And when Abraham was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abraham and said unto him, 'I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect...and thou shalt be a father of many nations.'" As the
Pittsburgh Catholic The ''Pittsburgh Catholic'' is the weekly Catholic news source for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, published for lay people, clergy and religious. It labeled itself as the oldest Catholic newspaper in continuous publication in the U.S. ...
reported, "Levine selected the Mahler piece because it focuses on the soul's path to resurrection. The pope agreed, because of its theme of 'where the soul is reaching to everlasting life, an idea common to all three religions.' Levine and the Vatican also considered the symphony particularly appropriate because of the first movement's "special meaning for the pope," stemming from its likely connection to the Polish poet
Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Ro ...
's epic 'Funeral Rites,' which "resonated with John Paul not only generally as the first Polish pope, but also personally, because as a young, aspiring actor, the future pope acted in a Mickiewicz play and memorized his poetry." Following the finale of the symphony, the Pope requested an encore—an unprecedented act for a papal concert. Because Vatican protocol then restricted all concerts to a duration of 72 minutes, only movements 1, 4, and 5 of the Mahler were performed.


See also

* Pope John Paul II's relations with Judaism * Pope John Paul II's relations with Islam *
Christian–Jewish reconciliation Christian−Jewish reconciliation refers to the efforts that are being made to improve understanding and acceptance between Christians and Jews. There has been significant progress in reconciliation in recent years, in particular by the Catholic C ...


References

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External links


Video of "Abraham" from concertVideo of Mahler Mvt. 1 from concertVideo of Mahler Mvt. 4 from concertVideo of Mahler Mvt. 5 from concertLevine's Book, "The Pope's Maestro," which includes a detailed account of the concert
Events in Vatican City 2004 in Vatican City Concerts 2004 in music January 2004 events in Europe