German church calls a brazilian pastor and musician for the Church’s Day

Antonio Carlos Ribeiro

Dresden (Germany) - The Kurhessen Waldeck Church invited the Brazilian singer Dorival Ristoff to participate in its stand at the 33rd Church’s Day (33. Kirchentag). The organizers of the largest German religious event to be held from 1 to 5 June in this city, are expecting the participation of half a million people.

The theme of this 33. Kirchentag (http://www.kirchentag.de) is freedom and Ristoff selected songs like Procurando a Liberdade (Looking for Freedom), one of the favorite corners of the retired archbishop of Recife, D. Helder Camara,Liberdade, abre as asas (Liberty, opens its wings), corner-plot very popular in Brazil, and Corra e olhe o céu (Run and watch the sky), of the carioca composer Cartola, who sang like a little passion for life.

Ristoff felt prestigious and pleased with the invitation of Pastor Reiner Degenhardt, as part of this mega event since 1991, coming to see your song Du bist meine Zuflucht (God is my help) to become a great success, being released on Long Play (LP) of the event, at the time, and then recorded separately, with sales of 90,000 copies.

With the Kirchentag he was projected in the dissemination of musical dialogue between the German and Brazilian culture, through compact discs (CDs) Unser Traum ist der Weg, Spuren, Am Rande der Zeit, in der Kirche Unser Musik, Horizontes de Paz, Mit seinen Aurgen and Rio de Fé, released on the occasion of 180 years of the Parish Martin Luther, in Rio de Janeiro, where he served as pastor for 11 years.

He presented himself as a musician in the 12 events of Church’s Day, of Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and in three of the Catholic Church. Bishop Rolf Koppe, Church's Office (Kirchenamt) has distributed CDs Mit seinem Augen, and Am Rande der Zeit in a box of books, distributed to Lutheran pastors around the world since the Second World War. Ristoff toured in Germany, included the then German Democratic Republic (DDR).

Brazil has also led professional musicians as Luciano Camargo, Claudio Veiga, Mauro Harff, Cid de Freitas, Wellington Bonfim and Humberto Araujo had arrangements in disseminating the dialogue of cultures in Brazil and Germany, selling over 100,000 copies, including cassette tapes, used at the time. The case that most caught her attention was the song Canto do Povo de um Lugar (Singing of a Place of the People), of the composer Caetano Veloso, who liked to see it translated into German and the arrangement, gave rights of publicity, but demanded that it maintained the original title.

About his experience during these two decades, said he learned a lot, including the conflict between the impromptu presentation, common among Brazilians, and faithfully follow the score, the Germans. Also praised the fact of not lack resources for professional monitoring. He regretted that his best work, the CD Horizontes de Paz, with rhythms from Argentina, Peru, Spain and Ghana, made especially for the Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB), has sold only 150 copies, the others being sold out on tour following.

On this trip, said the expectation is more involved as a visitor than as a collaborator, to be his last appearance at the event. Also imagines remember friendships that built over the years, noting that there are people who participate assiduously since the inception of the event. About his success, he credits the fact that the Germans give priority to the classical and folk music, while the Brazilians have rhythms as vanerão, baião, milonga, chamamé. Germans like these rhythms, also of the Argentine tango, and more concrete poetry, inspired by Liberation Theology.

Another thing, he adds, is that the Germans have always liked to cultural exchanges with people around the world and have a musical sensibility to listen a marcha rancho with counter-singing of a samba, like spontaneity, joy and excitement of the lyrics and music of Brazil. Sometimes proved delighted to see that even dense topics such as "Thou wast not born to be sad friend, even if it rains in your heart", are treated with joy.