Omaggio a Sua Santità Benedetto XVI
armonie della sera
chamber music festival (third edition)
[armonie della sera, DDD, ADS 06]

Track 6, "Ave Maria", op.8 (1978)
Doriana Giuliodoro - Silvia Marcellini - Cristiana Cecchi, sopranos
Marco Sollini, piano - David Crescenzi, conductor

Track 11, "Panis Angelicus", op.47 (2005)
for piano and mixed choir
dedicated to His Holiness Benedict XVI in the Year of the Eucharist 2005
First World Performance
Prelude - Panis Angelicus I - Interlude - Panis Angelicus II - Epilogue
Marco Sollini, piano
Coro Lirico "Vincenzo Bellini"
David Crescenzi, conductor

Track 12, "Ave Maria", op.8a (1978)
for piano solo
Sergio Calligaris, piano

The concert of Loreto, “Tribute to His Holiness Benedict XVI”, on 30th July 2007 in the Festival of Chamber Music “armonie della sera”, is here almost entirely presented with the live-recording made by the Vatican Radio, that wanted to spread all over the world the emotions shared in the wide audience crowding the magnificent Basilica of the Holy House.
Even the then Archbishop of Loreto His Grace Gianni Danzi, in spite of his precarious health conditions that shortly afterwards would have made him pass away, wanted to be present at the event expressing with beautiful words of appreciation, in part here presented through the interview given to journalist Giuseppe Corradini that, in memory, we inserted as first track in this CD.
An evening with the sharing of various artists who proposed particularly deep pieces of music, including the “First World Performance” of the “Panis Angelicus” op.47 for piano and choir of the pianist-composer Italo-argentinian Sergio Calligaris, present at the Basilica for the occasion together with many personalities come from the whole Italy, and performer of the “encore”: his Ave Maria in the version for piano solo, rendered with a marvellous “Horowitzian” sound. A work, the Panis Angelicus, expressely written and dedicated with devoted admiration to “His Holiness Benedict XVI in the Year of the Eucharist” 2005, the Author expressed himself about in this way:

«I attempted to describe the tension of every human being that, injured because of the sin, finds in the Eucharist a guide to come “ad lucem quam inhabitas”, to the eternal contemplation of God in the Paradise. The depth and the strength of the text, whose second strophe was never set to music before, demanded from me a tremendous effort, both intellectual and spiritual, to obtain the greatest equilibrium between creative emotionalism and technical rigour of the contrapuntal and harmonic writing.»

A zeal that the Pope Benedict XVI Himself accepted with great warm, expressed in a letter to Maestro Calligaris coming from the Papal State Secretary signed by the Councillor His Grace Gabriele Caccia, who expressed himself in this way:

«The Supreme Pontiff, who accepted and well appreciated your gift, wishes for making you receive the expression of His cordial gratitude for your thoughts of respect and affection that suggested your tribute. With the best wish and encouragement for the continuation of your qualified artistic activity of composer, to promote and spread the truth of the faith and the human and spiritual deep values through the language of the music, He invokes for you the patronage of the Lauretan Virgin and He is glad to send, as a token of divine graces and of every hope of prosperity in the Lord, a special Apostolic blessing, willingly extended to the Artists, the Choir and their dear ones…» (From Vatican City, 27th September 2007).

The evening in Loreto had the precious support of the CARILORETO Foundation, that made possible its achievement, and it was the occasion to pay hommage to the visit that the Supreme Pontiff would have paied afterwards. Precious was also the contribution of the Vatican Radio, that kindly granted us the permission to use the recordings directed by the very skilful Maestro Stefano Corato, as well as of the Publisher Carisch that publish all works of Maestro Calligaris. To all of them we address our most genuine thanks in the shared delight for documenting this sincere “Tribute to His Holiness Benedict XVI” which sees the light of day also thanks to a silent and concrete great friend of the Art, of our Festival, of the Faith and a true protagonist of the most intense human and spiritual values. To Him a very special thanks.

Marco Sollini
artistic director