The project is formed by the following people:
Alex Wende – composer, producer
Hennig Westland and Jäcki Reznicek – musicians
Thomas Pflanz – author of the Latin lyrics;
Diana Lasch, Kira Primke, Lawrence Sihlabeni, Maggie Reilly and Tom Cunningham - session soloists
The "Carl Maria von Weber" choir on the albums Mystic. Spirit. Voices. and Chapter 2
and Chor Der Deutschen Oper Berlin ("Choir of the German Opera, Berlin") on the album Times.
Lesiëm released its debut album, Mystic, Spirit, Voices, in 2000. The songs Fundamentum and Indalo (recorded with Lawrence Sihlabeni) were taken in rotation of German radio stations and were later released as singles in January and June of 2000. Soon after this, the album was re-released in more than 50 countries all around the world. When the album was released in the United States in 2002, it climbed to no. 7 on the U.S.
Lesiëm’s second album, Chapter 2, was released in 2001 in Europe, Initially, a limited pre-edition was released in March of 2001, followed a month later by the official release, with all tracks re-arranged. In some countries the first, limited, edition was released as official. The album was release in the U.S.A. in 2003 under the title Illumination.
The ethnic theme (which first appeared in Indalo from "Mystic. Spirit. Voices") was continued in the track Africa (released as a single in March 2001). The vocals on this track are performed by Lawrence Sihlabeni. During creation of "Chapter 2" the musicians used ethnic musical instruments, for example the doudouk (in the track Aureus) and the great highland bagpipe (for the track Britannia) and operatic parts (e.g. Susanne Kirchbaum's soprano part in "Aureus"). However, there were no hits like Fundamentum in this album.
The first two albums were a sort of prelude for the pop-opera Times, which was Lesiëm’s 3rd album (released as Auracle in U.S.A. in 2004). The musicians started their work in March 2002 and finished it in the end of July. The single Caritas (feat. Maggie Reilly and Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin) was presented in December 2002 on the philanthropic TV-show of Jose Carreras “Carreras Gala”.
In 2001, Lesiëm presented a huge show with lasers and pyrotechnics, called "Leipziger Feuerzauber". It took place at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal near Leipzig. More than 200,000 people visited it; a few millions of Germans watched it on the TV.
Paradisus
Lesiëm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In caritate servire o mi caritas.
In camera caritatis. Tempi passati.
O inter arma caritas. Tempi passati.
Sic e unt fata hominum. Deo volente.
O devotio moderna. Diem perdidi.
In caritate servire. Deo volente.
Mundus paradisiacus.
In paradiso.
In Lesiem's song Paradisus, the lyrics are in Latin and seem to present a combination of different phrases and ideas that revolve around love, devotion, and the idealization of paradise. The opening line, 'Mundus paradisiacus o paradisus' can be translated to 'Paradisical world, oh paradise.' This line sets the tone for the rest of the song and implies that the lyrics will be focused on a paradise-like place or state of being.
The second line, 'In caritate servire o mi caritas,' means 'In charity to serve, oh my love.' This line is interesting because it suggests that one can only find love and happiness through selfless service to others. The next lines, 'In camera caritatis. Tempi passati. O inter arma caritas. Tempi passati,' translate to 'In the chamber of charity. Times past. Oh love among the weapons. Times past.' These lines may be referring to a time where love and charity were more valued and prevalent in society than they are now.
The song continues with lines like 'Sic e unt fata hominum. Deo volente,' which can be translated to, 'Thus are the fates of men. God willing.' This line suggests that life is unpredictable and that everything is according to God's will. The lyrics also mention the idea of lost time, with 'O devotio moderna. Diem perdidi,' meaning 'Oh modern devotion. I have lost the day.' This line suggests that the modern world is lacking in true devotion and that time is being wasted on things that don't matter. The song ends with the same phrase it began with, 'In paradiso' meaning 'In paradise.'
Line by Line Meaning
Mundus paradisiacus o paradisus.
The world of paradise or paradise itself.
In caritate servire o mi caritas.
To serve with love, oh my love.
In camera caritatis. Tempi passati.
In the chamber of love. Times gone by.
O inter arma caritas. Tempi passati.
Oh love amongst the arms. Times gone by.
Sic e unt fata hominum. Deo volente.
Such is the fate of man. God willing.
O devotio moderna. Diem perdidi.
Oh modern devotion. I lost my day.
In caritate servire. Deo volente.
To serve with love. God willing.
Mundus paradisiacus.
The world of paradise.
O paradisus.
Oh paradise.
In paradiso.
In paradise.
Contributed by Christopher T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.