In Friday’s (8/26) Washington Post, Anne Midgette writes, “At times of mourning, classical music comes into its own. We respond to tragedy with music: memorial concerts, instrumental solos at a funeral. The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, bore a flood of tribute concerts in their wake, and they return this year in notable proportions to honor the 10th anniversary. … For the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the Kennedy Center has also put together a commemoration. To be held on Sept. 8, and open only by invitation to members of the 9/11 community—families, first responders, and others who were directly involved—it will also include the NSO, as well as Emmylou Harris and the ubiquitous mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. … The New York Philharmonic is offering a free tribute concert on Sept. 10—Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony—that will be televised nationally the next night. … One particular community in New York City is hoping to offer a striking tribute of its own. The musicians and composers who lived in Lower Manhattan at the time of the attacks are joining in a free marathon concert called Music After, starting at 8:46 in the morning and lasting until after midnight. … The point of this event is not only commemoration, not only nostalgia, but a reaffirmation of the resiliency of the creative spirit.”
Posted August 29, 2011