Discover more about Weltethos by Jonathan Harvey
Martin Cullingford
Friday, December 7, 2012
One of Jonathan Harvey's final works was also one of his most ambitious. Weltethos, a work which aims to 'give expression to the common values of world religions' - with a libretto by theologian Hans Küng drawing on texts about Confucius, Moses, Mohammed, Buddha and Jesus as well as Hindu writings - was performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle a year ago, and received its British premiere as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
Simon Halsey, who was both choirmaster and co-conductor of the performance, offers an introduction to the work below. You can see a highlights trailer at the Berlin Philharmonic's Digital Concert Hall - where you can also watch the whole performance (for which a subscription is required).
You can also learn more about the music of composer Jonathan Harvey, who died earlier this week, in our guide to his work.