The road to the Sanctuary. A musical, poetic, and educational journey

The Cross is among the central themes of the oldest Western musical repertoire: Gregorian chant, monody, and late medieval polyphony. The depth of the texts that address it is objective, tracing back to the very core of Christianity, namely the death and resurrection of Christ. The images are among the most touching, for the deeply human dimension encapsulated in the figure of the Son and in the wrenching pain of Mary, who at the foot of the Cross is first and foremost a mother and a woman.

Monody and chorality sometimes alternate, sometimes intertwine, symbolizing communal participation in the path of salvation that necessarily involves suffering. However, within the musical journey, there are also intonations filled with both strength and sweetness, which narrate and express the stature of the two main figures in the narrative of the Cross, Christ – Man and Mary – Woman. These intonations are entrusted not only to the voices but also to the specific timbre of wind and string instruments with evocative sound, contemporary to the proposed repertoire.

So the meditation becomes more intense, relating the listener to a historical time in which both vocal and instrumental music, understood in their indispensable utility for the spiritual life of man, were also an integral part of the ritual, making for an absolute moment of worship, a sure nourishment for the soul.