The program of the concert enlarges the horizon of that multitude of peoples who today more than ever must find in themselves and radiate the strength of fraternity, from which peace arises.

John Harbison has been commissioned to compose a sacred motet, Abraham, on the theme of "Reconciliation Between Jews, Christians, and Muslims."

"The concept for a concert in the Vatican built around the ideas of reconciliation and resurrection, as expressed in Mahler's Second Symphony, came from Gilbert Levine," explains Harbison. "As it took shape and gained the support of Pope John Paul II, with whom Maestro Levine has a long association, I was honored to be invited by Maestro Levine to compose a piece as Prologue, speaking directly in contemporary terms to the themes of the concert.«
"The text from Genesis which I suggested presents Abraham as 'father of many nations.' In these difficult times, the music centers on the name and spirit of Abraham as a bridge, a mode of communication, a point of commonality."


Mahler's Symphony No. 2.
Symphony No.2 The 'Resurrection'
The Second Symphony was composed between 1888 and 1894 and this span of years indicates its difficult birth. The long first movement began as a standalone symphonic poem, based on a novel sonata form structure with, to put it simply, two development sections - "Todtenfier" ("Funeral Rites") - and provided the rock on which Mahler would subsequently build the rest as his imagination fed his musical creativity.
By the time he had finished the whole five movement symphony, helped towards the end from a creative block by hearing a setting of Klopstock's Resurrection Ode at the funeral of the conductor Von Bulow, Mahler had created an audacious piece of concert hall theatre - part choral symphony, part oratorio - that delved in the most spectacular fashion into nothing less than the whole question of immortality. Using immense forces he ended up trying to dramatise in music the struggle of mankind towards eternal salvation. As he himself said: What was the purpose of struggling through life whilst alive ? After death would any meaning for life be revealed ? Was there salvation or damnation awaiting ? For the conductor the challenge is to unite this diverse structure both musically and emotionally and it is one which prompts a very diverse set of responses indeed.

Up