Puccini, Pavarotti, and an Autistic Man – All God’s Children
My friend recently received a wonderful gift from his son: A CD & DVD set of the “Original Three Tenors” concert in Rome. My fiend especially enjoys the Grand Finale singing of “Nessun Dorma”. (*That son may have heard that aria played a hundred times while driving on vacations or to soccer games.)
Puccini’s Aria, “Nessun Dorma”, is beyond brilliant. The genius to arrange thousands of notes for violins, cellos, French horns, kettle drums, and the multitude of myriad instruments of a symphony orchestra, in concert with the inspiring sounds from Opera tenor’s vocal cords, to create a harmonious crescendo that stirs the heart of God, is beyond mortal men’s imagination.
More so, on a clear, cool night in Rome, under a thousand stars, with a 100-piece orchestra, the Three Tenors: Pavarotti, Carerras, and Domingo, sang Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” with the precision of one voice, and the power of a hundred. The end result was a thunderous finale, unlike anything heard before or since. If you listen closely, you can hear God’s applause, midst the standing ovation.
The Above YouTube Music Video Captures the Essence of God’s Creative Gift
That performance is the Secular musical version honoring God’s creative gift, blessing a rare few. Handel’s “Messiah” is obviously the Spiritual musical equivalent. Rembrandt’s “Prodigal Son”, and Michelangelo’s “Creation of Man” on the Sistine Chapel Ceiling” are Art’s equivalent expression of God’s creative gifts.
Yet, my fiend found, that equally treasured by God, was watching an adult, autistic man keeping perfect rhythm with his finger, moving up and down, like a symphony’s conductor’s wand, at a Sunday Mass, in a country church. My friend had tears in his eyes as he watched that autistic man, swaying from side to side, while his right, extended, index finger never missed a beat, like a finely timed Swiss metronome.
Within 24 hours, my friend witnessed the gamut of God’s creative genius, from Puccini & Pavarotti to an autistic man, all valued the same by God. From the magnificent magenta of a sunset, the reddening of a rose, to the Swings of Pleaides, the genius of God’s creative beauty is everywhere, beyond the limits of our imagination.
My friend also learned that we are all God’s Children, heirs to heaven. So, the autistic man could sing the Grand Finale of Nessun Dorma, “Vincula. Vincula. Vincula. – “I will conquer” – with the same bravado of Pavarotti, Carerras, & Domingo. Because, in the Sanctuary of his Soul, the autistic man confidently sang a duet with God, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, IT’S A WONDERFUL WORLD.