June 2024 Leonardo Rivadeneira's work Eclipse Op. 1

 The cover for the month of June will feature Leonardo Rivadeneira's work Eclipse Op. 1 (1983), a poem for soprano and cello. It is a romantic work that might be starred by a woman, as it was performed by soprano Ursula Fiedler and cellist Petra Kießling.

This poem, in my opinion, is about a woman who is madly in love with a man and is willing to go through the ups and downs of daily life with him. When she is not with him, she feels as if she is in the dark, engulfed in such blackness that all she sees is a blue sea with only the brilliance reflected by the foam made by the waves. She longs for the sunlight reflected in her lover's eyes. She harbours a warm, concealed love within her, like a bird's nest. A symbolic eclipse in which light overcomes darkness and love triumphs. Without a doubt, this is a poem about a couple's love, a heartfelt song that expresses a lover's desires.


June 2924 Cover

June 2024 cover
Note: Magicstudio Ai generated the image from the complete poem.


To choose the cover image, I employed artificial intelligence and navigated through multiple pages. I typed the entire poem's content, and as a consequence, around 90% of the photos depicted a woman, with some depicting a couple in love. However, I must add that there was little variety in the outcomes; they were all fairly similar. I hope you like it.


Rivadeneira, L -Eclipse Op. 1 (1983).

Soprano: Ursula Fiedler

Violoncello: Petra Kießling



Come and take my hands
I want your sun
and your gentle smile
come, wash my soul
in your breast
the sunrise is born today
in the storm of life I say:
come
everything is born today

To be a fire
the days pass
you only stay
only you
in clouds of silence
I feel a bird's nest in you
there is a love that is born

In a blue sea
I'm going in a sea
of night and foam
to you
there is a solar pan
in your eyes of rose and  nard
there is a star of centuries
that flies in your being
and a saying of forest 
in your eyes
I'm going to you in a blue sea

All white again
discovered the desert
in the fertile earth
spring air
incense swing
penetrate and ascend





Rivadeneira, L -Eclipse Op. 1 (1983). ©Copyright Leonardo Rivadeneira

Reflexion


The solar eclipse is a natural phenomena that is sometimes interpreted as darkness over light, evil over good, a metaphor frequently employed by poets, as in our featured work this month. However, we must first consider whether evil exists. Clearly, evil exists; it is represented by laws, social sanctions, and even symbols in each society. For example, in the United Kingdom, the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George bestows medals bearing pictures of St Michael trampling on Satan and St George on horseback destroying a dragon. Laws, customs, and symbols all serve to define evil. We all recognise it.

Murder, for example, is bad and we all know it; however, in some twisted way, murdering others is now understood as good; war has gone from being an evil field of all kinds of atrocities to something good and pious, of course, while it is carried out in other territories, the further away from us the better, and then we all cry out in unison that wars are good and necessary.

It's as perverse as the mistaken belief that covid only killed the elderly and those with poor immune systems; even the masses clamoured for herd infection, the faster the better, because it was only a flu for those who were healthy and more "remote" in terms of age and health. We witnessed the most heinous forms of selfishness and depravity at the society level, including inside family groupings. There was no mercy for individuals condemned to death by the population that felt "distant" from the disease. Cynically, some people now claim that the pandemic was not a major concern; of course, it is logical that they believe this because they are not 7 metres underground.

Wishing others' deaths is evil, calling out for blood on one side is wrong, and we run the possibility of any form of conflict, such as covid, spreading everywhere. Any war is awful, regardless of how it is decorated. The terminology is becoming more cynical, and "labor force" is dominated by individuals who volunteer or are forced to fight in wars. Is this a form of "production" in which a salary is paid, including overtime? What kind of product or service does this labour provide? We are so cynical that we call labourers those who murder and are slain on the horrible battlefields of war. If it is about labour, then, we can see that there is a market of war. 

It is obvious that any conflict is catastrophic, and the usage of this type of terminology is just as perverse as the daily tally of covid deaths; much like the nasty comments heard in the news on a daily basis, without mercy or consideration for others. Perhaps covid will become a market, just like the "war market". This language's use and adoption are equally perverse.

As difficult as it may appear, I must state that we are not objects, labour force, or numbers, and that all we desire for others, we will acquire for ourselves, as happened with covid. We are all human beings, subjects, brothers, sisters and sons of God, the God of love, the God of love for our neighbours.

Unlike a solar eclipse, we can keep darkness from blocking the light. Whether we like it or not, these wars are all about power, economic power, and nothing more. Worse, it is a battle for the economic power of a few people on the earth who believe it is right to regard each other as enemies and let us die on one side.

In the same way that Leonardo Rivadeneira describes the romantic need of humans to love and be loved, we must have a deep need for God's love, which manifests itself in love for our neighbour. Our Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us to love our neighbour. We must remember these words even when the entire world is eclipsed by evil and the devil's ears tingle with delight at the sound of battle. In this vein, I'll conclude this post with a prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel, because WE NEED GOD in our life now more than ever, as well as the support of the commander of God's Army.

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel 🙏

 

St. Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle.

Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,

and do thou,

O Prince of the heavenly hosts,

by the power of God,

thrust into hell Satan,

and all the evil spirits,

who prowl about the world

seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. .

 

O glorious prince St. Michael,

chief and commander of the heavenly hosts,

guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits,

servant in the house of the Divine King

and our admirable conductor,

you who shine with excellence

and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil,

who turn to you with confidence

and enable us by your gracious protection

to serve God more and more faithfully every day.


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