“Last week, the Seattle Symphony released a free recording of their performance of Georgian composer Giya Kancheli’s Nu.Mu.Zu,” writes Rich Smith on Monday (11/30) at thestranger.com (Seattle). “They’ve decided to do so this week in honor of those who’ve died in the recent terror attacks. Kancheli composed the piece as he was becoming increasingly disillusioned by the fact that many live in a state of seemingly constant violence…. Nu.Mu.Zu, an ancient Sumerian phrase inflected with millennial punctuation … translates to ‘I. Don’t. Know.’ … The performance would have been released on the symphony’s in-house record label, Seattle Symphony Media…. [Simon Woods, President and CEO of the Seattle Symphony] takes seriously the symphony’s role in connecting to the community. He calls Seattle ‘a compassionate city,’ and says he wants the label to reflect that value.” Says Music Director Ludovic Morlot, “Earlier this month, we were deeply touched by Nu.Mu.Zu, and by the sentiments Kancheli expressed about his hopes for a world without violence. After the recent terrorist attacks in my home country of France, and elsewhere, we felt strongly that this music should go out into the world and be shared with everyone.”
Posted December 2, 2015
