ANIMA RAGGIANTE (Radiant Soul/Απαστράπτουσα Ψυχή)
for double equal-voices choir
Lorenzo Donati (b.1972)
Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863-1938)
"Elegie Romane" - In San Pietro
LIVE IN ITALY
30/8/2021
Basilica di San Paterniano
Invited by Incontro Internazionale "Città di Fano"
Voci Contra Tempo - Female Vocal Ensemble:
Dimitra Athanasatou, Kallipateira Hatzikalimeri, Pélagie Hadzinikitas, Ria Karamatsouki, Despina Kelesidou, Maria Kondylidou, Pandora Liasopoulou, Eleni Manta, Pinelopi Petromelidou-Broomhead, Athanasia Thomopoulou, Stella Tzina, Andria Prokopa, Stavroula Vassilakaki, Marilena Zoumpouloglou
Coro II (Soloists): Despina Kelesidou, Stavroula Vassilakaki, Dimitra Athanassatou
Conductor, Sofia Gioldasi
Video: Alexandros Kaminaris
Photo credits for church ceilings: Christophe Schmidt
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Gabriele D'Annunzio was a great Italian poet, writer, journalist & soldier, with a very controversial personality. He wrote "In San Pietro" inspired by an experience he had at the Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in Rome, when one day he heard the church choir singing music by Palestrina & the Miserere by Allegri, a very important piece for this church. The experience was very strong and it was during Passion week time.
The Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome is one of the largest & most important churches in the Western world. The tomb & crypt of St.Peter are found at the necropolis beneath the Basilica. Many Popes, bishops & notable people (like Palestrina) have been buried near Pope St.Peter. The entrance of the crypt of St.Peter in the past was decorated by statues of Angels & Lions. Inside the church there is a huge number of art treasures, including Pietà, the famous sculpture of Michelangelo.
Outside the church one can find the St.Peter's Square, a forecourt in two sections, both surrounded by tall colonnades. On top of the colonnades there are more than 88 sculptures of Supreme Pontiffs & at the centre of the square is the Vatican obelisk, an ancient Egyptian obelisk erected at the current site in 1586.
D'Annunzio was very famous for including many names of outstanding artists, philosophers & important people in all his works. Therefore, in his poem "In San Pietro" all the aforementioned treasures & persons connected to the Basilica worked as an inspiration for him & are included in the poem.
Donati is a master in composing music combining elements from different eras & especially from Renaissance & contemporary music. In this 6-part choir piece for equal voices he divided the singers in 2 choirs, where the first choir sings music by Donati himself & the second one, (standing very far away from the first chorus and without any contact with the conductor), sings fragments from Palestrina's "Miserere". Donati's music is a great example of modern musical symbolism.
TEXT
Here you can read the Italian original text of "In San Pietro":
it.wikisource.org/wiki/Elegie_romane/III/In_San_Pietro_(I)
[ENGLISH]
Through the deep nave that during the centuries embraced so many human souls & raised clouds of incense through the ages, a solemn choir formed of invisible mouths, sings.
Sporadically, the organ emits it's resonance from its concealed place. In the shadows, the sound travels down in the crypt, across the graves: the great walls seem to be shaken from inside.
At the top, the Supreme Pontiffs watch over, blessing: on the iron gates are adorned with angels & lions.
How solemn is the song!
From the united choir, a voice emerges in a high melodic cry. The voice cries & reveals to the world a divine sorrow. Notes flow warm, as tears. The voice cries alone.
Doesn’t Palestrina hear it in his grave?
The voice cries alone & tells the world a divine sorrow.
Doesn’t the buried one hear it?
Doesn’t his soul fly joyfully on celestial peaks like a dove on golden pinnacles?
The voice cries, alone, in the silence
[ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ]
Μέσα από το βαθύ κλίτος, που τόσες ανθρώπινες ψυχές υποδέχτηκε μέσα στους αιώνες και την ευωδία τόσων θυμιαμάτων περιέκλεισε, τραγουδάει η αυστηρή χορωδία των αόρατων στομάτων.
Ώρες ώρες, η βροντή του οργάνου κυνηγάει (ακούγεται/ηχεί) από το κρυμμένο του δάσος.
Δυσοίωνη μέσα στη σκιά η βροντή διαχέεται μέχρι κάτω στους τάφους: μοιάζουν να τρέμουν απ'τα θεμέλια τους τα μεγαλοπρεπή μαυσωλεία.
Ξαγρυπνούν στο ανώγειο οι μέγιστοι ποντίφικες ευλογώντας: βρίσκονται στις σιδερένιες πύλες οι άγγελοι & οι λέοντες.
Πόσο εντυπωσιακό είναι το τραγούδι!
Από τη χορωδία ομοίων φωνών μια φωνή υψώνεται, με μια ψηλή μελωδική κραυγή.
Θρηνεί η φωνή και αποκαλύπτει στον κόσμο ένα θεϊκό πόνο. Αναβλύζουν οι νότες, ζεστές, σχεδόν σαν δάκρυα.
Θρηνεί η φωνή μονάχη.
Δεν ακούει ο Παλεστρίνα στον παγωμένο βράχο;
Μονάχη κλαίει η φωνή και διηγείται στον κόσμο τον θεϊκό πόνο.
Δεν ακούει ο νεκρός;
Δεν αναπηδά η απαστράπτουσα ψυχή του στις ιδανικές κορφές σαν το περιστέρι που υψώνεται στις χρυσές κορφές (οβελίσκους);
Κλαίει η φωνή, μονάχη, στη σιωπή
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