{"id":42741,"date":"2017-02-11T16:43:45","date_gmt":"2017-02-11T21:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=42741"},"modified":"2017-02-11T16:47:30","modified_gmt":"2017-02-11T21:47:30","slug":"feature-musical-tributes-stories-we-ignore-at-our-peril","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2017\/02\/11\/feature-musical-tributes-stories-we-ignore-at-our-peril\/","title":{"rendered":"FEATURE | Musical Tributes: Stories We Ignore At Our Peril"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_42742\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42742\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-42742\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/02\/National_War_Memorial_Ottawa_2007_1.jpg\" alt=\"National War Memorial Ottawa (Photo: Wikipedia)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/02\/National_War_Memorial_Ottawa_2007_1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/02\/National_War_Memorial_Ottawa_2007_1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/02\/National_War_Memorial_Ottawa_2007_1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-42742\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">National War Memorial Ottawa (Photo: Wikipedia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>\u201cMy subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity&#8230; All a poet can do today is warn.\u201d <\/em><em>\u2014 Wilfred Owen,<\/em> title page message from Benjamin Britten\u2019s <em>War Requiem<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"wpsdc-drop-cap\">T<\/span>rump is not the first nor the last world leader that will have a profoundly negative impact on such a wide swath of the world\u2019s population. From mocking those with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PX9reO3QnUA\" target=\"_blank\">disabilities<\/a>, perpetuating and normalizing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VKMGRPVXdT0\" target=\"_blank\">misogyny,<\/a> firmly institutionalizing systemic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/02\/08\/us\/politics\/elizabeth-warren-coretta-scott-king-jeff-sessions.html?_r=0\" target=\"_blank\">racism<\/a>, and completely denigrating the free systems of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/01\/21\/us\/politics\/trump-white-house-briefing-inauguration-crowd-size.html\" target=\"_blank\">journalism and press<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 this is not the only world leader to have done these things in the past. He won\u2019t be the last. So what do we do? Jonathan Larson, in his iconic musical Rent, wrote a powerful line: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Yr3M-YgRT0s?t=90\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cthe opposite of war isn\u2019t peace, it\u2019s creation.\u201d<\/a> This series will explore choral works, small and large, created to fight against conflict, war, destruction, murder, and loss. Our doom is continuing to ignore their messages.<\/p>\n<p>Our first focus is British composer <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Benjamin_Britten\" target=\"_blank\">Benjamin Britten\u2019s (1913-1976<\/a>) anti-war masterpiece, <em>War Requiem<\/em>. It is not often performed, with few choirs or orchestras able to muster the effective forces to execute it well. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.exultate.net\/meet-our-singers-sarah-maria-leung\/\" target=\"_blank\">Sarah Maria Leung<\/a>, Master\u2019s student in Choral Conducting at the University of Toronto, along with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.grandphilchoir.com\/about-us\/our-people\/mark-vuorinen\/\">Mark Vuorinen<\/a>, Artistic Director of the Grand Philharmonic Choir both provide us insight into Britten\u2019s work.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rsSMCq7pl_k?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Vuorinen last performed this work in <a href=\"https:\/\/legacy.wlu.ca\/news_update.php?grp_id=35&amp;nws_id=11805&amp;filter_type=update\" target=\"_blank\">2013<\/a> with the Grand Philharmonic Choir and guests. Leung was part of the massed choirs and the Colburn Orchestra under James Conlon at the Disney Hall, Los Angeles performance in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment\/arts\/culture\/la-et-1127-war-requiem-pictures-photogallery.html\" target=\"_blank\">2013<\/a>. In Toronto, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and Toronto Children\u2019s Chorus last performed the work in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tmchoir.org\/past-tmc-seasons\/\" target=\"_blank\">2009<\/a>. I imagine a variety of ensembles will perform it in 2019 to commemorate the 100th anniversary since the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Treaty_of_Versailles\" target=\"_blank\">Treaty of Versaille<\/a> officially ended World War I.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>War Requiem<\/em> was first performed at the opening of the new Coventry Cathedral in West Midlands, The\u00a0United Kingdom on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/2011\/sep\/22\/benjamin-britten-war-requiem\" target=\"_blank\">May 30th, 1962<\/a>. The original Cathedral was destroyed by air bombing during WWII. For the text of the work, Vuorinen says, \u201cBritten embedded the battlefield words of Wilfred Owen into the Requiem\u2026 [becoming] living testament to the pain and loss suffered by so many.\u201d One of the most well-known poets of WWI, Owen <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wilfred_Owen\" target=\"_blank\">died<\/a> in battle one week before the armistice in 1918. Vuorinen adds, \u201cMusic embeds these words into a listener&#8217;s conscience in a way that the the words alone don&#8217;t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When the work premiered in May 1962, the Cold War was raging, the Vietnam War was well underway, and the Civil Rights movement was gaining momentum. That October marked the Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest the world has ever come to nuclear armageddon. For Britten, a determined pacifist, the threat of war in a tumultuous world was evident and ever-present. Professor <a href=\"http:\/\/www.boosey.com\/cr\/music\/Benjamin-Britten-War-Requiem\/15495\" target=\"_blank\">Paul Spicer<\/a> from the Birmingham Conservatoire describes the War Requiem as \u201cthe moment of destiny for which Britten had been preparing all his adult life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The composition is remarkable in its simultaneous ability to discomfort the listener yet cradle the text. The Sanctus is an example with a beckoning soprano line that gives way to an agitated chant before erupting into trumpet and horn heraldry. The soprano solo line into the benedictus is disturbed by tritones amongst the choir. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uberchord.com\/blog\/the-tritone\/\" target=\"_blank\">Tritones<\/a> feature heavily in this work. Leung describes them as sounds of \u201cviolence and anxiety.\u201d Indeed, they are known as the <a href=\"http:\/\/mentalfloss.com\/article\/77321\/brief-history-devils-tritone\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cdevil\u2019s interval.\u201d<\/a> There is a constant feeling of nervousness, unsettledness, and the need for resolution throughout much of the <em>War Requiem<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Britten was successful at integrating much text into his work. Vuorinen shares, \u201cthe words that have stayed with me in the most profound way, several years after conducting the <em>War Requiem<\/em>, come from the Offertorium. It&#8217;s Britten&#8217;s setting of Owen&#8217;s retelling of the biblical story of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Genesis+22&amp;version=NRSV\" target=\"_blank\">Abraham and Isaac<\/a>. In the biblical account, Abraham is allowed to spare his son&#8217;s life and instead sacrifice a ram. Owen reimagines the end of the story. Abraham is offered the chance to spare his son&#8217;s life, but kills him anyway, to which Owen adds \u2014 &#8220;and half the seed of Europe, one by one.&#8221; This is a direct reference to men of power leading Europe to death by war. Vuorinen continues, \u201cthe music that comes before and after this parable is so wrought with anger and freneticism, it makes Abraham&#8217;s decision seem all the more maddening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This story is especially salient in light of the decisions coming from the White House. To make a such a profound decision to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/federal-appeals-court-maintains-suspension-of-trumps-immigration-order\/2017\/02\/09\/e8526e70-ed47-11e6-9662-6eedf1627882_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-banner-main_trumpban-625pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory\" target=\"_blank\">ban<\/a> the legitimate travel of people based on specific origin without any regard for fact or policy impacts is horrendous. Like Abraham in Owen\u2019s remade story, we are often presented with challenges that require a choice. President Donald Trump has chosen to sacrifice Isaac when he does not need to. The decision is truly \u201cmaddening\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSinging or playing \u2014 or even just listening \u2014 to the <em>War Requiem<\/em> is exhausting not only because it is technically difficult, but also because it is emotionally loaded,\u201d says Leung, \u201cit forces you to think about the uglier sides of humanity and leaves you with a sense of emptiness.\u201d It is a challenge to find artistic expression as a conductor, and as a singer, especially in a piece this large. But throughout the unsettling tritones, the bombastic thick orchestrations, and the powerful text is a core message of peace. Britten uses specific sounds throughout his work: chimes evoke church bells, drums evoke military might, trumpets and distant bugles bring war to the forefront, angelic children\u2019s voices comfort and so much more. \u201cMusic is an art form that enhances emotions. What cannot be expressed in words, movements or visual forms can be expressed in music,\u201d says Leung, \u201cthis is precisely why we should never stop making music, even in times that seem impossible. There is no more powerful way to remember the people and things we love, and remembering keeps us moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is so much contemporary relevance to [the <em>War Requiem<\/em>], and viewing [it] as commemoration risks the danger of losing out on confronting the hard lessons that [it] teaches us about our current conflicts and relationships with others,\u201d says Vuorinen. Confrontation with the complex perils of our world is not easy work. Unfortunately, we\u2019re not far off from repeating many sins of the past.<\/p>\n<p>For more information:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.warrequiem.org\" target=\"_blank\">The Britten-Pears War Requiem Resource<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.boosey.com\/cr\/music\/Benjamin-Britten-War-Requiem\/15495\" target=\"_blank\">Boosey &amp; Hawkes Publishing Notes<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/warrequiem.wordpress.com\" target=\"_blank\">This blog put together by an unknown person for the War Requiem performances by the TSO in 2009<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><b><i>#LUDWIGVAN<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><i><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first in our series exploring choral works, small and large, created to fight against conflict, war, destruction, murder, and loss. This week, Benjamin Britten\u2019s anti-war masterpiece War Requiem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":42742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6439,4967,31],"tags":[497,3547],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/02\/National_War_Memorial_Ottawa_2007_1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-b7n","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42741"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42741"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42748,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42741\/revisions\/42748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42741"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=42741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}