Pope John Paul II's Poetry is Put to Music

Infinite Love : Words by John-Paul II sung by Opera Super-Stars

Jan 18, 2009

Karol Wojtyla, before joining the Church and becoming The Pontiff was known to be a gifted poet . Placido Domingo has produced this CD of his poems set to music.

Karol Wojtyla, known to all as Pope John Paul II, was one of the greatest Popes that has ever lived. Through his love for people and his great humanity he changed the world for the better. However not everyone is aware that he was a poet of some renown. Before entering the Church, as a student he had been an actor and a writer and had written poetry of great depth and spirituality.

Plácido Domingo, a great admirer of Pope John Paul II, went in search of poems that could be set to music. One of the poems chosen “Madre” or Mother may be about the Holy Mother, but it speaks of motherhood in a way that touches all hearts.

Pope John Paul II's Poetry & "Heavenly" Voices Combined

Placido Domingo did not want it to be a solo album “so we invited five artists to join the project. I very much like Josh Groban's voice, and Andrea Bocelli, who has been my friend for a long time, was thrilled to collaborate”. Other contributors include Katherine Jenkins, the Welsh mezzo-soprano, Vanessa Williams whom he had conducted in Carmen Jones and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Placido Domingo Jr also collaborated with his father on this project. A talented baritone, he performs a song that he co-wrote with Jorge Calandrelli.

Placido Domingo Praises the London Symphony Orchestra

Placido Domingo pays tribute to the LSO. He states that he was amazed by the calibre of the musicians who can engage with music that they have never seen before and produce perfectly recorded music that endures forever.

Placido Domingo acknowledges that this recording has enormous significance to him both as a Catholic and as somebody who knew and respected Pope John Paul II. He met John Paul on several occasions when they had discussed the idea of setting his poetry to music.

How to Obtain Amore Infinito Album

Amore Infinito is available as a download straight from the Deutsche Grammophon website or can be purchased in CD format. The words of the poems by Karol Wojtyla are available on the same website and you can hear a taster of the five tracks.

Placido Domingo Biography

The famed Spanish artist moved to Mexico at an early age with his musical parents. He studied piano with Manuel Barajas in Mexico City and Voice with Carlo Morelli at the National Conservatory in the same city.

His illustrious career as an opera singer included roles such as Alfredo in "La Traviata" in Monterrey where he debuted in 1961. He made his USA debut as Arturo in "Lucia di Lammermoor" with the Dallas Civic Opera and really hasn’t looked back since then. Roles that Domingo made his own included Cavaradossi, Des Grieux, Radames, Don Carlo, Otello, Don Jose, Hoffmann, Canio, and Samson.

He made his formal debut as conductor with La Traviata at the New York City Opera in October 1973, and in October 1984, he appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, conducting La Boheme. He is of course, very well known as one of the Four Tenors that helped to popularise opera to the wider public.

The copyright of the article Pope John Paul II's Poetry is Put to Music in Opera is owned by Christine Fadhley. Permission to republish Pope John Paul II's Poetry is Put to Music in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.