http://www.sdgmusic.org/voices music, faith and culture - explored, discussed and valued Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:06:29 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en If you are a Chinese bureaucrat or an administrator of arts endowment funds in any of the Western democratic powers, it might help you keep your job if you evidence distaste for and disinclination to fund, or even tolerate, art  that is based on religious themes.  Most notably, you might ... http://www.sdgmusic.org/voices/2008/10/13/fear-mongering-east-and-west/ Lohengrin as Dramatic Theodicy The myth Wagner set to music in the opera Lohengrin is a marvelous portrait of romantic chivalry. The mystery of the enduring power of this story may be explained by analyzing it as a dramatic theodicy. A philosophical theodicy poses an answer to the problem of evil ... http://www.sdgmusic.org/voices/2008/08/24/lohengrin-as-dramatic-theodicy/ It was the audience that made this performance remarkable. I attended a performance of Beethoven's 9th symphony this evening, presented by the Symphonic Orchestra of Buenos Aires and the National Polyphonic Chorale, at the Facultad de Derecho (University of Rights) in central Buenos Aires.  I learned of the performance from a ... http://www.sdgmusic.org/voices/2008/08/15/beethoven-in-buenos-aires/ In the year of the premier of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro Beethoven was sixteen years old. The innovator who took classic musical forms into new territory only wrote one opera, and it has been eclipsed by the brilliance of his nine symphonies. In contemporary productions the opera is known as ... http://www.sdgmusic.org/voices/2008/06/22/beethoven-on-justice-human-and-divine/ Mozart’s operas were a cultural force at the beginning of the modern era. He began work on The Marriage of Figaro in 1785. The first performance was May 1, 1786 in Vienna. Between the American and French Revolutions, Beaumarchais’ comedy about servants outsmarting their aristocratic masters was already creating controversy ... http://www.sdgmusic.org/voices/2008/05/27/mozart-on-civility-and-civil-rights/ The pope's US visit this week has had some musical repercussions.  Jeffrey Tucker has distilled some of the issues.  His piece ends with this quote from our distinguished visitor. When the community of faith, the world-wide unity of the Church and her history, and the mystery of the living Christ are ... http://www.sdgmusic.org/voices/2008/04/18/a-few-words-from-the-pope/ In the last couple of weeks, we have talked about the ease of recording a concert. But the question comes: “is one willing to accept the recording of a performance?” We are so used to listening to studio recording that are made up from selections from multiple recordings. ... http://www.sdgmusic.org/voices/2008/04/10/is-it-real-or-is-it-memorex%c2%ae/ A few weeks ago, I was listening to Peter Bannister talk about his work Et iterum venturus est that Soli Deo Gloria has commissioned, which will be premiered in Paris in 2008. One of the other listeners asked, “When are we going to be able to hear it. ... http://www.sdgmusic.org/voices/2008/04/02/preparing-for-the-afterlife/ I am certain we all know the question If a tree falls in the wilderness, and no one hears it, does it make a sound? or the comparable If a man says something and his wife doesn’t hear it, is he still wrong? but one can also ask If no one hears a composition, is ... http://www.sdgmusic.org/voices/2008/03/25/preparing-for-the-second-dance/ The crucifixion of Jesus Christ our Lord. We have the stories in the Bible. We have the church traditions. We have the scholars and theologians who have studied them in detail... and are still studying. We can learn and understand much, but, at the same time, this crux of history brings ... http://www.sdgmusic.org/voices/2008/03/12/holy-juxtapositions-for-lent/