China Philharmonic Orchestra plays Mozart for Pope Benedict
(08 May 08 - RV) Pope Benedict XVI attendeda concert on Wednesday evening performed
by the China Philharmonic Orchestra. We have this report.... Here is the full
text of Pope Benedict's remarks at the concert:
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear
Friends! Another high-quality musical performance sees us gathered once again
in the Paul VI Audience Hall. For me and for all of us here, it takes on a particular
value and meaning. Since it is offered and performed by the China Philharmonic Orchestra
and the Shanghai Opera House Chorus, it puts us in touch, as it were, with the living
reality of the world of China. I thank the choir and orchestra for this generous
tribute and I congratulate the organizers and the artists for their skilful, refined
and elegant performance of a musical work that forms part of the artistic heritage
of all humanity. In a group of such accomplished artists, we see represented the
great cultural and musical tradition of China, and this performance helps us to understand
better the history of the Chinese people, their values and their noble aspirations.
Heartfelt thanks for this gift! Thanks also for the music that is about to be performed!
I extend sincere thanks not only to the promoters and the artists, but to all those
who, in different ways, took part in arranging this truly unique event. It is
worth emphasizing that this performance by Chinese artists of one of Mozart’s greatest
works brings together their own musical talent and Western music. Conductor Long
Yu, with his orchestra, the soloists and the Shanghai Opera House Chorus have comfortably
risen to the challenge. Music, and art in general, can serve as a privileged instrument
for encounter and reciprocal knowledge and esteem between different populations and
cultures; a means attainable by all for valuing the universal language of art. There
is another aspect that I wish to emphasize. I note with pleasure the interest shown
by your orchestra and choir in European religious music. This shows that it is possible,
in different cultural settings, to enjoy and appreciate sublime manifestations of
the spirit such as Mozart’s Requiem which we have just heard, precisely because music
expresses universal human sentiments, including the religious sentiment, which transcends
the boundaries of every individual culture. I should also like to say a word regarding
this place where we have come together this evening. It is the great hall in which
the Pope receives his guests and meets those who come to visit him. It is like a
window opening onto the world, a place where people from all over the world often
meet, with their own personal stories and their own culture, all of them welcomed
with esteem and affection. In greeting you this evening, dear Chinese artists, the
Pope intends to reach out to your entire people, with a special thought for those
of your fellow citizens who share faith in Jesus and are united through a particular
spiritual bond with the Successor of Peter. The Requiem came into being through this
faith as a prayer to God, the just and merciful judge, and that is why it touches
the hearts of all people, as an expression of humanity’s universal aspirations. Finally,
as I thank you once again for this most welcome tribute, I send my greetings, through
you, to all the people of China as they prepare for the Olympic Games, an event of
great importance for the entire human family.