Dietrich Bonhoeffer

#2

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Maria von Wedemeyer came from urbane, highly educated families. By 1933, when Hitler came to power, Bonhoeffer had earned his doctorate, traveled widely, served a church in Spain, and had taken a position as lecturer and student chaplain at the University of Berlin. He was twenty-seven years old. Two days after Hitler's inauguration, Bonhoeffer preached a radio sermon condemning the German leader's policies. The transmission was interrupted. In 1935, Bonhoeffer was appointed head of an underground seminary at Finkenwalde. The Gestapo closed the school two years later, but Bonhoeffer's resistance activities continued. Bonhoeffer had met Maria von Wedemeyer years before, but when they became acquainted again in 1942 they fell in love. Shortly after their engagement in early 1943, he was arrested. Dietrich and Maria would never see each other again outside prison walls. But through their correspondence their relationship grew deeper, more affectionate, and more passionate. Volumes have been written about Bonhoeffer the theologian and martyr, but none of these works reveals the side of the man known by his fiancee. As we read these letters, we glimpse hopes, dreams, longings, and fears - and we witness a timeless love story.

#3

The history of opera has a relatively short duration within the context of the history of music in general. It appeared in 1597, when the first opera, Dafne, by Jacopo Peri, was created. Since then it has developed parallel to the various musical currents that have followed one another over time up to the present day, generally linked to the current concept of classical music. Opera (from the Latin opera, plural of opus, "work") is a musical genre that combines symphonic music, usually performed by an orchestra, and a written dramatic text—expressed in the form of a libretto—interpreted vocally by singers of different tessitura: tenor, baritone, and bass for the male register, and soprano, mezzo-soprano, and contralto for the female, in addition to the so-called white voices (those of children) or in falsetto (castrato, countertenor). Generally, the musical work contains overtures, interludes and musical accompaniments, while the sung part can be in choir or solo, duet, trio, or various combinations, in different structures such as recitative or aria.