Ruptly
"A historic performance at the Municipal Theater in Asuncion gave a new voice to one of the world’s most famous musical works: Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” Tuesday. For the first time, the iconic choral piece from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony was performed in Guarani, one of Paraguay’s official and indigenous languages, replacing the original German text written by Friedrich Schiller. More than 100 singers joined the Orquesta Sinfónica del Congreso Nacional under the direction of conductor Diego Sanchez Hasse, who received several minutes of applause from the audience. Soloists included Alejandra Meza, Constanza Soledad Cepedano, Reinaldo Samaniego, and Aldo Regier. The project, titled ‘Haa Vy’avete0’, aimed to connect a universal masterpiece with Paraguay’s linguistic and cultural heritage. The translation into Guaraní was developed by anthropologist Cristobal Ortiz and cultural promoter Fernando Robles, while Nicolas Ramirez Salaberry adapted the text to fit Beethoven’s original score. Originally premiered in 1824, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony later became a symbol of European unity, with the ‘Ode to Joy’ adopted as the anthem of the European Union in 1985. "
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