Wednesday (5/18) on The Atlantic online, D.B. Grady writes, “Ludwig van Beethoven so admired the ideals of the French Revolution that he wrote a symphony for the man who most embodied it. … Dmitri Shostakovich, arguably the greatest composer of the 20th century, so frightened and infuriated the Soviet regime with his works that according to biographer Elizabeth Wilson, ‘he waited for his arrest at night out on the landing by the lift, so that at least his family wouldn’t be disturbed.’ … The tradition of Beethoven and Verdi and Shostakovich is set to continue at the Kennedy Center on May 22nd, when the Choral Arts Society of Washington and the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra [based in Tampere, Finland] present the world premiere of Seven Songs for Planet Earth by Finnish composer Olli Kortekangas. Now, it seems, more than ever, it is impossible to consider the natural world without thought to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, or the ongoing nuclear catastrophe and tragic loss of life in Japan. Seven Songs for Planet Earth is a reflection on nature and its fragility, and is a call to action. … Symphonic choruses are based on texts, and four of the movements are poems by the poet Wendell Berry, who was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2010.”
Posted May 18, 2011
