VATICAN - Pope: "the great symphony of peace between peoples is never fully accomplished"

Castel Gandolfo (Agenzia Fides) - "Music is harmony of differences, as happens every time a concert begins with the 'ritual' of tuning. From the variety of timbres of different instruments, a symphony can be achieved. But this does not happen magically or automatically! It is achieved only through the efforts of the Director and each musician. A patient, laborious, time consuming and demanding commitment, in an effort to listen to each other, avoiding excessive desire to be the center of attention and giving priority to the best overall outcome." This was pointed out by the Holy Father Benedict XVI in his speech at the end of the concert in his honor yesterday evening, July 11, the feast of St. Benedict the Abbot, in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, from the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim."You can imagine how pleased I am to welcome an Orchestra like this that is based on the conviction, in fact, from experience that music brings people together, beyond every division," said the Pontiff, who continued: "The mind turns to the great symphony of peace between peoples, which is never fully accomplished. My generation, as well as Maestro Barenboim’s parents, experienced the tragedies of World War II and the Holocaust. And it is very significant that You, Maestro, after reaching the highest goals for a musician, you wanted to give life to a project like that of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra: a group in which Israeli, Palestinian and other Countries Arab, people of Jewish religion, Muslim and Christian musicians play together. The numerous awards which you and this Orchestra have been awarded show at the same time, professional excellence and ethical and spiritual commitment." After recalling that the two very famous symphonies performed (Symphony No.6 in F major "Pastorale" and Symphony no. 5 in C minor by Ludwig van Beethoven ") express "two aspects of life: tragedy and peace, man’s struggle against adverse destiny and the diving into the soothing bucolic environment," Benedict XVI said: " The message I would like to draw today is this: to achieve peace one has to strive, leaving aside violence and weapons, commit oneself with the personal and communal conversion, through dialogue with the patient research of possible understanding." Thanking Maestro Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, the Holy Father wished them "to continue to sow in the world the hope of peace through the universal language of music." (SL) (Agenzia Fides 12/7/2012)