What do a composer of Catholic music and a composer of great movie soundtracks have in common? This is what the 5th edition of the Concerto con i Poveri (Concert with the Poor) to the eight thousand people who filled the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican on Saturday, December 7, 2024.
The event, which reserves the front rows for three thousand poor people from Rome, was attended this year by the Italian priest and composer Marco Frisina (author of hymns such as Jesus Christ You Are My Life y Aprite le Porte a Cristo) and, as special guest, the German Hans Zimmer, winner of the Oscar for Best Soundtrack for Dune - Part 1 y The Lion King.
There was great expectation for the event: in a few minutes after the opening of ticket applications on the 18th, the tickets were sold out, and the website was down for more than 30 minutes. According to the concert website, there were more than 200 thousand accesses at noon, when registration opened.
A musical catechesis
The first hour of the concert was conducted by Frisina, who traced a journey through the main themes proclaimed by the Jubilee of Hope 2025, which will open its doors (literally) on the night of the 24th in St. Peter's Square. After conducting the pontifical hymn and recalling the "vocation of Rome" as a place of conversion and closeness to God, the Italian presented themes from the main soundtracks he has composed for films, such as Moses, Joseph of Egypt y John XXIII.
Frisina took advantage of the occasion to give a brief catechesis on the themes of her compositions: the faith (Come le stelle del cieloof the film Abraham), hope (ZipporaMoses' wife), forgiveness (Giuseppe against his relativesof José), peace among nations (Sulla cattedra di Pietro, Pacem in TerrisThe despair of those who do not have God (the death of Judas) and salvation in Christ (with his hymn, "The Death of Judas," in honor of John XXIII). Open the Doorsin homage to St. John Paul II).
His work was especially noteworthy MagnificatThe Italian soloist Serena Autieri, who said that Mary continues to be a woman who inspires and "shows that God looks through the simple," alluding to the less fortunate in the audience. Cellist Tina Guo, Zimmer's collaborator on several of his compositions, also participated.
The long awaited
Composer Hans Zimmer was greeted with loud applause after Frisina and his orchestra's performance of the theme from one of his major motion pictures, Gladiator. He alternated between a synthesizer that made sound effects, highlighted or softened parts played by the choir and orchestra (his specialty in film) and the grand piano.
The second hour of the concert featured Zimmer and the direction of Dario Vero, with a program marked by great suites by Pearl Harbor, Angels and Demons and the work Timeof the film Inceptionby director Christopher Nolan. The show concluded with a thrilling rendition of the soundtrack to the soundtrack of Pirates of the CaribbeanThe audience gave her a standing ovation.
A universal language
The answer to the question of what the two composers have in common is the universality of music and its ability to awaken in human beings what is deepest: their joys and sorrows, their achievements and anguish. Zimmer and Frisina are not as far apart as it might seem, as the show demonstrated.
"I am deeply honored to participate in the Concert with the Poor here at the Vatican, an event that demonstrates how art and music can be powerful tools of solidarity and inclusion," Zimmer said at a press conference convened by the Vatican. "This is not just a concert: it is an act of love, a concrete gesture toward those less fortunate, an invitation to reflect on what unites us as human beings."
"A concert is a beautiful parable, a parable of harmony, even of the synodal harmony that the Church strives to live more fully. (...) Each one in the orchestra plays his own score, but must harmonize with the others, thus generating the beauty of music," said Pope Francis, who received the concert's promoters and artists in audience on Saturday.
The Concerto con i Poveri is one of the examples of what the Jubilee hopes to generate in 2025: the Church's dialogue with the concerns of the contemporary world. If all roads lead to Rome, it is also true that they can all start from there. "Because beauty is a gift of God for all human beings, united by the same dignity and called to fraternity," Francis concluded.
In addition to taking place on the eve of the Jubilee, the concert celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Choir of the Diocese of Rome, founded by Frisina in 1984, accompanied by the New Opera Orchestra.
Journalist in Rome
