Sin+fonia pela Paz

Sin+fonia pela Paz is the second opus of the Musica pro Populo team of Four European Composers that first met virtually during the difficult first quarantine era of March 2022 against the spread of Covid-19. Suite 2020 was the outcome of their collaboration during this difficult period. Their ambition was, and still is, to create interesting music that will encourage creativity during hard times, inspired by the major societal issues and offer their work without profit, for beneficiary concerts and similar activities.

The idea to create a work of music according to the traditional form of a four-part symphony was born in March 2022 in Cantanhede, Portugal, after the premiere of Suite 2020 in Figueira da Foz. At first, all four composers decided to dedicate their work to Ukrainian people that still nowadays suffer because of the Russian invasion. La Paz [eng. Peace] turned out to be preferable for the main title of the work as an idea that merges all principal values of western civilization: Democracy, Friendship, Equality, Understanding, as well as all kind of arts and humanities that may flourish during peaceful periods of the humanity. Referring to global peace, Musica pro Populo composers oppose their music to violence, racism, fascism and all forms of bigotry and intolerance that are responsible for the outbreak of wars. A pure anti-war statement that needs no occasional motivation.

The word symphony derives from the Greek word συμφωνία. Apart from its musical meaning as an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra, the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning common today: a work usually consisting of multiple distinct sections or movements, often four, with the first movement in sonata form. The Greek word συμφωνία comes out from two words, συν [eng. plus] and φωνή [eng. voice] originally meaning agreement. The word as a musical term defines an orchestra as symphony orchestra, a group of musicians that perform in a harmonious way.

This kind of ‘controversial agreement’ is used at the title of this modern symphony by the four composers to state that in fact all agree for Peace and its humanitarian values. Using the word συν as the mathematical act of adding, the four composers merge their music as one φωνή [eng. voice] to oppose against war and call all people to add their voice for the commonwealth of humanity. Συν+φωνή, voices united agree, pela Paz, for the Peace!