Time and Eternity – Music for the Planet II – Trans-cendence V

Orchestral Concert

Saturday, 10 August 2024
7.30 pm, Saanen Church

In Patricia Kopatchinskaja’s “Time and Eternity”, the music revolves around pivotal moments of transformation, the aftermath of catastrophic wartime events, but also around hope. In 1939, Karl Amadeus Hartmann composed his Concerto funebre fueled by outrage and despair in response to the horrors of the Nazi regime, a threat that loomed over European civilization. The Concerto funebre can be understood as a passionate expression, a reflection on the suffering inflicted upon humanity, all living beings, the very essence of creation, and, by extension, the Creator (God?) himself. In his Polyptyque (a violin concerto composed in 1973 for Yehudi Menuhin), Frank Martin translated the Passion of Christ into music, drawing inspiration from images by Duccio di Buoninsegna (ca. 1255 – 1319) found on the reverse side of the renowned Maestà altarpiece in Siena. Frank Martin was deeply inspired by the Passion narrative, which conveys the idea that God empathises with the misery of temporal existence. According to Christian beliefs, His suffering leads to redemption in the Eternal – a beacon of hope in times of peril, including the challenges posed by climate change. The evocative musical meditation is accompanied by members from the Roman Catholic, Jewish, and Russian Orthodox communities, all of whom endured the brutality of the Nazi regime. The clergy from the Canton of Bern will share their perspectives on the event through short texts. Even if the narratives in their original languages are not fully understood, the concert gains rich significance through the perspectives: the Hebrew cantor will recite the Kol Nidrei, the Polish priest will offer a prayer, and the resurrection will be the touched upon in the speech of the Orthodox priest. 

Please keep in mind that the concerts of the “Music for the Planet” series will be accompanied by audiovisual elements. Expect some pieces to be presented in unique and unconventional ways.