PAUL CONSTANTINESCU'S BYZANTINE ORATORIOS – UNIQUE MUSICAL EXPRESSIONS OF A CREATIVE GENIUS

Abstract

Paul Constantinescu is famous for his efforts to process and draw attention to the potential of the Romanian Byzantine monody concretized in the two masterpieces that belong to the vocal-symphonic genre: “The Passion and Resurrection” Byzantine Easter Oratorio (1946-1948), and “The Nativity” Byzantine Christmas Oratorio (1947). These works represent the materialization of a brilliant creative enterprise, set to realize a double cultural-musical symbiosis between musical art and the Byzantine church chants on the one hand and between the eastern Byzantine tradition and the European musical culture on the other hand, with the well-defined goal to bring the man closer to his Creator through music.