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Apocalypse Now
Franz Schmidt's 'The Book with Seven Seals',
reviewed by GIUSEPPE PENNISI
On an evening with a heavy snow storm, which is very unusual in Rome, about a thousand music lovers challenged the bad weather, by bus, taxi and even on foot, reaching the Sala Cecilia of the Parco della Musica to listen to a rare two hour oratorio with no intermission. Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln ('The Book with Seven Seals') by Franz Schmidt had previously been performed in Italy only once: in 2003 at Pisa for the 'Anima Mundi' religious music festival. In 1957, however, there had been a private performance in the Holy See -- the Vatican State -- for the Pope and his guests. There are two good recordings of the oratorio, but they are hard to find in Italian stores...
Copyright © 21 February 2012
Giuseppe Pennisi,
Rome, Italy
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