Concert ‘Religious and Spiritual Film Music’ in Córdoba – BRIEF SUMMARY
At the beginning of March, a special concert of film music entitled ‘Concierto Música de Cine Religioso y Espiritual / Religious and Spiritual Film Music’ was held in the impressive Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, performed by the Orchestra and Choir of the Cathedral of Cordoba under the baton of Clemente Mata.
Our colleague and composer Curro Martín attended the concert, and leaves us this brief summary of it:
On Saturday March 9 at 19:00h took place in the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba the concert ‘The divine and the sacred’ by the Orchestra and Choir of the Cathedral of Cordoba conducted by Clemente Mata.
The program consisted of a selection of film music from classic movies with religious themes. This is an annual event that has been held for several seasons and is always very successful in terms of public attendance. Admission was free until full capacity was reached. This was the third time I went with my family and some friends and when I arrived almost an hour before the beginning, the queue was kilometers long. Luckily, the capacity was for more than 2000 people and although it was almost full, no one was left without being able to enter and enjoy the show … And I say show because it was spectacular. Several screens alternating shots of the performers with images of the films and a first class PA system, with a surround sound very adjusted to the acoustics of the venue.
The program was as follows:
- City of Joy – Ennio Morricone
- Ben Hur – Miklos Rosza
- The Greatest Story Ever Told – Alfred Newman
- Jesus of Nazareth – Maurice Jarre
- Quo Vadis / King of Kings – Miklos Rosza
- The Mission – Ennio Morricone
After the introduction, Morricone’s music for “City of Joy” created a beautiful atmosphere with the choir and orchestra in perfect synchrony with the neo-baroque spirit of the late Italian maestro. Next came Rózsa’s “Ben-Hur”. I will highlight “Overture” and “Star of Bethlehem”… What a marvel… There was no section that did not shine, especially the strings with those passages in which the violin soloist intervened accompanied by the orchestra.
Then came Alfred Newman’s American style for “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, which is still a very modern score for its time, but accessible, despite its complexity. With “Jesus of Nazareth” the contrast of Maurice Jarre’s approach was noticeable, with melodies somewhat more repetitive than the previous ones but no less beautiful for that.
Rózsa returned with “Quo Vadis” and at the end of his “Ave Caesar march”, the audience stood up applauding a superb interpretation with brass and percussion with such power that my friend Pedro commented: “This is like “Mars” from Holst’s “The Planets” but improved…”. The level was maintained with the monumental “King of Kings” and when we thought we would not be surprised with the well-known “The Mission” by Morricone, the recreation of “Gabriel’s oboe” and the choral counterpoint and Guarani percussions of “On Earth as It is in Heaven” brought tears to our eyes and put the finishing touch to one of the best concerts I have ever seen…. Looking forward to repeat!
Article by Curro Martín
Pictures by Cabildo Catedral de Cordoba
