VATICAN CITY, 8 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, the Holy Father attended a concert offered by the Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shanghai Opera House Chorus who presented Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem Mass.
The Pope affirmed that this concert "puts us in touch, as it were, with the living reality of the world of China," recognizing that "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".
"Music, and art in general," he continued, "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".
Benedict XVI emphasized the orchestra and choir's interest 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."
Referring to the "great hall", the Paul VI audience hall in which "the Pope receives his guests", he said: "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," he added, "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 Pope pointed out that "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".
In closing, the Pope extended his greetings, through the artists, "to all the people of China as they prepare for the Olympic Games, an event of great importance for the entire human family" and added, speaking in Chinese, "I thank you all and I offer you my best wishes".
BXVI-CONCERT/…/CHINESE ORCHESTRA VIS 20080508 (380)
The Pope affirmed that this concert "puts us in touch, as it were, with the living reality of the world of China," recognizing that "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".
"Music, and art in general," he continued, "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".
Benedict XVI emphasized the orchestra and choir's interest 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."
Referring to the "great hall", the Paul VI audience hall in which "the Pope receives his guests", he said: "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," he added, "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 Pope pointed out that "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".
In closing, the Pope extended his greetings, through the artists, "to all the people of China as they prepare for the Olympic Games, an event of great importance for the entire human family" and added, speaking in Chinese, "I thank you all and I offer you my best wishes".
BXVI-CONCERT/…/CHINESE ORCHESTRA VIS 20080508 (380)
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