Welcome to my most personal and intensive work: The Pandemic Symphony, a four movement composition for choir and orchestra.

1. Movement - Demise
2. Movement - Memories of Retreat
3. Movement - Spell of Nature
4. Movement - We Will Rise Again

Originally, this Symphony - even though it took me almost one year to complete - was never supposed for any audience or publication. This composition has been shaped by solitude and retreat, meant only for the ears of my family and close friends.

The music has lived in silence for many years, buried in thousands of notes, tucked away in a shelf - untouched, unheard: a secret whispered to the void. Followed by years of hesitation to touch the piece, treading carefully to avoid reviving old burdens and memories best left undisturbed.

In 2025, after tender revision and newfound courage, with gentle resolve and readiness to open forgotten boxes once more, I decided to let the music emerge from the shadows.

Still being a very private reflection about life, death, the end and a new begin, I see it now as an invitation to feel, to carry the weight of a journey. This composition is a testament to the willingness for confronting the past and transforming it into somehing both shared and maybe valued.

1. Movement - Demise:
The first movement portrays a gradual descent, culminating in absolute despair.
After a brief, enigmatic introduction, the piece unfolds episodes of carefree and jubilant dancing, intertwined with moments of social revelry.
But with a hauntingly oppressive cry for help, desperate yet futile calls, the work plunges deeper into despair, culminating in utter dissolution. 
The instruments, scattered across the vast sonic landscape, attempt to connect, yet fail.
The first movement concludes in profound hopelessness, with a fragile lament fading away through descending semitones, drained of all strength.

2. Movement - Memories of Retreat:
The second movement conveys a total retreat, evoking memories of everything lost during the pandemic: the closeness of family, the warmth of friendship, the wealth of cultural life.
Following an introduction reminiscent of ancient Baroque music, deeply emotional solo voices for bassoon, trumpet, clarinett, Saxophone, violin and piano weave one by one a tapestry of romances.
The piece concludes in an almost harmonious resolution, featuring a spirited toccata for violin and piano.

3. Movement - Spell of Nature:
The third movement depicts a refuge into the purity of nature. At times, the call of the mountains resonates; at others, the vastness of the ocean unfolds. 
It captures the morning prayer at sunrise, and later, the serenity of a star-studded night sky. 
This movement stands as a tribute to the healing power of nature.

4. Movement - We Will Rise Again:
The fourth movement presents a profound meditation, a heartfelt prayer for resurrection. 
At its core lies the timeless German hymn "Jesu ist erstanden" (Jesus is risen), invoking the healing promise of Christian faith: 
just as our Savior once rose, so too shall humanity rise anew. 
The hymn is freely interpreted in this composition, transitioning into a powerful finale for choir and orchestra. This climactic ending culminates in a somber minor chord, casting a shadow of poignant finality over the work, leaving behind an enduring resonance of strength and renewal.

Pandemic Symphony

1. Movement - Demise:
The first movement portrays a gradual descent, culminating in absolute despair.
After a brief, enigmatic introduction, the piece unfolds episodes of carefree and jubilant dancing, intertwined with moments of social revelry.
But with a hauntingly oppressive cry for help, desperate calls, the work plunges deeper into despair, culminating in utter dissolution. 
The instruments, scattered across the vast sonic landscape, attempt to connect, yet fail.
The first movement concludes in profound hopelessness, with a fragile lament fading away through descending semitones, drained of all strength.

Pandemic Symphony - Demise

2. Movement - Memories of Retreat:
The second movement conveys a total retreat, evoking memories of everything lost during the pandemic: the closeness of family, the warmth of friendship, the wealth of cultural life and exchange.
Following an introduction reminiscent of ancient Baroque music, deeply emotional solo voices weave together a tapestry of romances. 
The piece concludes in an almost harmonious resolution, featuring a spirited toccata for violin and piano.

Pandemic Symphony - Memories of Retreat

3. Movement - Spell of Nature:
The third movement depicts a refuge into the purity of nature. At times, the call of the mountains resonates; at others, the vastness of the ocean unfolds. 
It captures the morning prayer at sunrise, and later, the serenity of a star-studded night sky. 
This movement stands as a tribute to the healing power of nature.

Pandemic Symphony - Spell of Nature

4. Movement - We Will Rise Again:
The fourth movement presents a profound meditation, a heartfelt prayer for resurrection. 
At its core lies the timeless German hymn "Jesu ist erstanden" (Jesus is risen), invoking the healing promise of Christian faith: 
just as our Savior once rose, so too shall humanity rise anew. 
The hymn is freely interpreted in this composition, transitioning into a powerful finale for choir and orchestra. This climactic ending culminates in a somber minor chord, casting a shadow of poignant finality over the work, leaving behind an enduring resonance of strength and renewal.

Pandemic Symphony - We Will Rise Again

Violinist, pianist, chamber and orchestral musician, who devotes himself to composing neo-classical music. 
He weaves a gentle, emotional orchestral language, that speaks about live and touches the heart. 
He captures these ephemeral, timeless, and moving moments, transcribing them with devotion to sound and recording them in the sound studio.

His music creations are a testament to the value of retreat,
where silence gives birth to the most profound expressions, contrapuncting the noise of our world.

Thanks for your kind listening and commenting !
Helmut / HELMUTunes