TUVAYHUN — Beatitudes for a Wounded World

Nidarosdomens jentekor & Trondheimsolistene

Released on 2022-08-26 by 2L
Main artists: Nidarosdomens jentekor Trondheimsolistene
Genre: Classical

Digital booklet

Available in

16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo

Unlimited Streaming

Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps

Start my trial period and start listening to this album

Enjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription

Download not available

TUVAYHUN — Beatitudes for a Wounded World
music by Kim André Arnesen lyrics by Charles Anthony Silvestri

Our world is wounded. All around us we see the cracks: the effects of environmental crisis, mass migrations, global pandemic, political polarization, growing income inequality, the rise of authoritarian regimes, unprecedented social change, and reticence or resignation on the part of many to do anything about any of it. And yet, our world is also a place of wondrous beauty, a beauty that surrounds us if we have eyes to see it. More than ever we need messages of hope and unity, messages that remind us of what we already know—that the world is beautiful, that people are beautiful, and if we come together, respect one another, bless one another, and open our hearts to be blessed in return—we might heal the despair, and repair the fractures that are threatening our fragile world.

In "TUVAYHUN—Beatitudes for a Wounded World" we seek to address this fragility, and the part we are called to play in healing it. "Tuvayhun" in Aramaic is the first word in each of the Beatitudes, "Blessed…" In the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus likely spoke this exact word as he pointed out those who were especially blessed in the eyes of God; but his was not a predictable list. He did not say, "Blessed are the big donors" or "Blessed are the Church leadership" or "Blessed are those who pray the loudest.” Instead, he shocked his listeners by blessing not those who have joy, but those who mourn; not the righteous, but those who are poor in spirit; not the powerful, but the peacemakers, and the meek. He blessed the sinners, the broken, the marginalized.

TUVAYHUN responds to each of Jesus' blessings as if to say, "Yes, and…" These new texts illustrate how that blessing applies in the real world. It seems as though Jesus' words two millennia ago still resonate, and the types of people he sought to comfort with his blessings are still in need of that blessing, and the societal shortcomings he drew attention to then are still challenging us today.

The music of TUVAYHUN takes us on a journey through deep emotions and deeply human situations. The music moves in and out, occupying the liminal space between ancient and modern, sacred and profane. We move from semi-liturgical chant to lively folk dance, from rich orchestral layers to stark solos, from the familiar to the exotic, and back again. The music illuminates the many different peoples and experiences the texts evoke, and serves in sonic form as a reminder of the universal and enduring message of the Beatitudes.

One might think that each of the eight verses in the Beatitudes concerns a different group of people: the poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemakers, the merciful. However, these are not eight different groups of people, but instead are eight moral qualities that all of us can possess. We are all in need of these blessings, and we are all called to act as the agents of blessing.

Nidarosdomens jentekor (Nidaros Cathedral Girls’ Choir) 
TrondheimSolistene, string orchestra 
Kirsti Huke, vocal  
Mohammed Al-Majzoub, vocal  
Hans Fredrik Jacobsen, flutes 
Hans-Kristian Kjos Sørensen, cimbalom and percussion 
Ruth Potter, harp  
Espen Aalberg, percussion 
Carl Haakon Waadeland, percussion  
Anita Brevik, conductor 
Ola Lindseth, string orchestra leader 
Morten Lindberg, balance engineer and recording producer

More info

TUVAYHUN — Beatitudes for a Wounded World

Nidarosdomens jentekor

You are currently listening to samples.

Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.

Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.

From kr133,33/month

TUVAYHUN: I. The Poor in Spirit