The history of music is, in many ways, an assemblageof occasional compositions. Since the rise of art pourl’art in the nineteenth century, classical music purportsto be abstract, but in the longer arc, compositionsconnect to specific occasions: a coronation, a requiemmass, a religious feast, a dinner party, a regalcelebration. Such occasions and commissions presentchallenges––not least for the composer charged withresponding to the myriad consequences of the world’sfirst nuclear reaction. Does one focus on the (positive)reverberations in cancer treatment, power, andscience? Does one focus on the (negative)reverberations in bombs, death, waste, and perpetualthreats of war? In Plea for Peace, these consequencesare inextricable. The clean perfect intervals that beginand end the work give rise to both expansionist leapsand cocooning retractions. The soloist’s elegant,wordless vocalise weaves in and out of the stringquartet’s sustained harmonies in gracefulcounterpoint, drawing us closer to our commonhumanity. Simple harmonies slowly transform,becoming rich and complex at the insistent, dramaticclimax: a wordless scream from the soul. As themusic’s opening glow returns, the voice seamlesslydovetailing with the strings, we return to the sonicspace of meditation, reflecting on an absolute plea forlasting peace.
- ISMN: 9790708129172 (M708129172)
