In terra pax

Karol Szymanowski Concert Overture in E major opus 12
Franz Schubert Symphony no.3 in D major D200
Frank Martin In terra pax (Oratorio for soloists, 2 mixed choirs and orchestra)

In terra pax, the choral work that Radio Geneva commissioned the Swiss composer Frank Martin to write in 1944 was to be broadcasted on the radio for an international audience to hear immediately after the end of the war. Martin, whose 50th anniversary of death will be in 2024, was faced with a difficult task: how to express ‘the overflowing joy of the longed-for moment amidst the fear of the future, the immeasurable sadness and the devastation everywhere’, such as the vision of a peaceful future draw? In terra pax – ‘peace on earth’ – may this also be the program today!

© MDR KLASSIK | Annekathrin Linge