Vatican City, 13 November 2014 (VIS) –
This morning a press conference was held in the Holy See Press Office
to present the CD “Habemus papam”, a compilation of the music of
all the celebrations of the 2013 Conclave performed by the Pontifical
Sistine Chapel Choir under the direction of the maestro Msgr. Massimo
Palombella, S.D.B. and issued by Deutsche Grammaphon. The speakers at
the conference were Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the
Pontifical Council for Culture; Msgr. Massimo Palombella, S.D.B.,
director of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir; Fr. Federico
Lombardi, S.J., director general of Vatican Radio, and Mirko Gratton,
director of the Classical Division of Deutsche Grammophon Italia.
Maestro Palombella explained that in
September 2014 an exclusive agency contract was signed between the
record label Deutsche Grammophon and the Pontifical Sistine Chapel
Choir two produce two musical collections. The first, “great
ecclesial events”, which opens with the CD “Habemus papam”, is
dedicated to live recordings by Vatican Radio of celebrations at
which Pope Francis has presided. The second consists of studio
recordings by the Sistine Chapel Choir of its characteristic
repertoire, music composed throughout history for papal celebrations.
The double CD “Habemus papam”, on
sale in Italy from 11 November and in the rest of the world from 28
November, contains all the music performed during the celebrations of
the Conclave in 2013 (Mass for the election of the Roman Pontiff in
St. Peter’s Basilica, entry into the Conclave, Mass with the
Cardinal Electors in the Sistine Chapel and Mass for the inauguration
of the Petrine Ministry in St. Peter’s Square), along with the
“Habemus Papam” announcement and Pope Francis’ first address
from the Loggia of the Blessings. This publication is presented as
the first historical documentation of the music of a Conclave”,
commented Msgr. Palombella. “They are all live recordings, with the
qualities and limits that this entails. Indeed, one perceives the
freshness of “authenticity” along with the background noise,
coughs, the clicks of cameras and even a helicopter circling above
St. Peter’s Square”.
The prelate remarked that the
Pontifical Choir is the oldest choral institution in the world and is
composed of 20 permanent adult singers and around 30 child
choristers. The Choir normally performs at Celebrations presided at
by the Pope, providing a primarily ecclesial service. Its concert
activity is therefore directed exclusively towards evangelisation and
to the promotion of ecumenical dialogue. To this end, on the
Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, the Choir sang alongside the
Anglican Choir of Westminster, in 2013 with the Leipzig Thomanerchor,
and in 2014, with the Orthodox Choir of the Patriarchate of Moscow.
In September 2014, the Choir made an historic tour in China,
performing in Hong Kong, Macao and Taipei.
“For the Pontifical Sistine Chapel
Choir, the agreement with the prestigious German record label
Deutsche Grammophon is a tangible response to its mandate, which
requires it on the one hand to safeguard the great musical heritage
of the Church, and on the other, especially in the liturgical sphere,
to participate in fruitful dialogue with modernity”, concluded the
maestro.
The director of Vatican Radio, Fr.
Federico Lombardi, S.J., spoke about the experience accumulated by
the radio station in the field of sound recording and broadcasting of
numerous concerts in the Vatican, especially in the Paul VI Hall. “We
all recall the concerts of exceptional quality during the pontificate
of Benedict XVI”. He offered the example of the extraordinary
Christmas 1937 concert in the Hall of Blessings, broadcast live to 23
countries. “A concert directed by the Maestro Lorenzo Perosi, Msgr.
Palombella's predecessor, with the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir,
recorded by Vatican Radio and broadcast with the help of German
technology”, as during that year the new Telefunken transmitter was
inaugurated.
Fr. Lombardi also highlighted the
activity of Vatican Radio in the production and exchange of quality
recordings within the framework of the EBU/UER, the European
Broadcasting Union, which brings together the public broadcasters of
all European countries. Vatican Radio offers on average around ten
high quality recordings per year as part of the EBU concert exchange
circuit. Vatican Radio is also engaged in research and experimental
activities in the field of sound recording, using new generation
microphones, in collaboration with the Centre for Technological
Research and Innovation of the Technological Strategies Directorate
of the RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana).
