Some Notes on Mozart’s Requiem

Maestro Manfred Honeck, music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, gave the 2011 John Paul the Great Fine Arts lecture at Franciscan University of Steubenville, “The Courage to Pray.”  In this well-received lecture, he spoke of his work with the Orchestra, his marriage and family life, and the intersection of faith and culture.  “I try to communicate my faith and what it means to me through the music I conduct,” he said.   “My relationship with God is the same as my relationship with a close friend. If you want to have a close relationship with a friend, then you call them, every day.  The more you speak with your friend, the more you know them.  It is the same with God…If you break the connection between yourself and God, you will lose your values.”  Honeck often encounters surprise that he has time to pray amidst the demands of his career, but said he tells people, “I clean my teeth every day, so why not my soul?”