Tigran Jager's neosymphony "Ultima Cena of Leonardo da Vinci" was performed at the Sergiev Posad Museum
- Nadia JaGer
- Feb 4, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 8
The neosymphony "Ultima Cena (The Last Supper) of Leonardo da Vinci - Cenacolo Vinciano Symphony" by composer Tigran Jager was performed for the first time at the opening of the "3Da Vinci" exhibition at the Sergiev Posad State Historical and Art Museum-Reserve in the Moscow region on February 3, 2024.
The Sergiev Posad Museum-Reserve, renowned for its classical art collections of ecclesiastical, Russian folk, and decorative and applied art, presented its first exhibition fusing innovation and antiquity. The exhibition features models of machines and mechanisms created using digital prototyping and 3D printing, augmented reality with a selfie feature, and 15th-19th-century objects from the museum's collection.
The new work of composer provides the musical context for the exhibition's key event — the display of a full-scale digital copy of Leonardo da Vinci's world-famous "The Last Supper" (Cenacolo Vinciano, or Ultima Cena) from the refectory of the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie. It was created by researchers from the Russian State University for the Humanities, including through the permanent "3Da Vinci" museum and workshop, based on rare works by the late 18th- and early 19th-century Italian artist Giuseppe Bossi, held in Russia. Bossi devoted considerable time and effort to studying the artistic legacy of Leonardo da Vinci and created numerous masterful copies of the brilliant artist's works, a fellow countryman. However, it was while working on the copy of "The Last Supper," due to the damp and cold conditions in the monastery, that Bossi fell seriously ill, leading to his death shortly thereafter.
Nevertheless, thanks to this copy, we can now see Leonardo's masterpiece in its already lost form: even after restoration in the 20th century, only a third of the work remained. New technologies have made it possible to display a painting of da Vinci's masterpiece almost in life-size.
Neosymphonic drama
"The musical composition 'Ultima Cena - The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci' reflects both the New Testament drama and the drama of all subsequent generations of humanity, embodied in Leonardo's work, his search for meaning and the origins of many actions and relationships. It is the drama of the misunderstanding of many geniuses, such as da Vinci himself. Such people shed light, and then it is our choice, those of us who remain here, to either see and hear the beauty and truth of the world, or to close ourselves off to knowledge," the composer noted.
Tigran Jager's music was performed as a recording, taking into account the museum's space. Unlike classical symphonies, the "neo" format is not very long, but allows for a richly conveyed message through a diverse range of instruments and dynamic changes in sections.
Art performances with music and a new format exhibition
The exhibition opened accompanied by musical art performances. An unusual art performance, "Images of the Renaissance," was prepared to the sound of Tigran Jager's series of neo-symphonies dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci and other geniuses. Artists Irina Klimova and Nelly Filimonova brought Renaissance images to life: models wearing original Venetian masks emerged holding paintings depicting metamorphoses of Leonardo's works.
A key feature of the exhibition is its accessibility for visually impaired visitors. The exhibits can be perceived tactilely thanks to their use of three-dimensional and relief-graphic techniques. This is not the first time the composer has participated in events and initiatives that allow visually impaired people to "see" images through music, which tells stories about other ethnic groups and their outstanding personalities.
The exhibition is open from February 4 to April 14, 2024.
