I was recently asked to conduct this year’s 9-11 Memorial Concert at the Lake Harriet Bandshell. (By the way, we could still use some violin and viola players, so please post a comment or send me a Facebook message if you’d like to participate in the all-volunteer orchestra.)The concert features great American music like John Williams’ “Hymn to the Fallen” from the movie Saving Private Ryan, John Philip Sousa’s “Semper Fidelis,” and Howard Hanson’s Second Symphony. I’m looking forward to this event, both because I love the music and because, having been in New York on September 11, 2001, I’m touched personally by it.
Please share your thoughts about music touching you (any kind of music). What is it about the music, or the event where you hear it, that causes a personal reaction? Ever had the experience that a formerly “boring” piece suddenly makes you cry, or that music that you’ve loved suddenly becomes dull? What’s the secret behind music’s power? Thanks for sharing!
2 comments:
What's the significance of Hansen's 2nd to 9/11?
There are two ways in which Hanson's Second Symphony is significant to 9-11. One is that, like all the music on the program, it is unmistakably and unabashedly American.
The second is that it resonates emotionally. The music - at times celebratory, resolute, nostalgic, wistful, etc. - carries a sentimentality both naive and honest. While some consider this sentimentality a flaw, it touches the listener, whether or not they have 9-11 in mind when listening.
Post a Comment