Masterworks 2
Nov 7, 2009 - Nov 8, 2009
Mark Russell Smith, Conductor
JOSEPH SCHWANTNER New Morning for the World (Daybreak of Freedom)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”
Masterworks 2 is dedicated to heroes, both old and new. The concert begins with Joseph Schwantner’s New Morning for the World. A symphonic biography, this piece sets to music excerpts from the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. This tribute the great civil rights leader will be narrated by Johnnie M. Woods, who has received numerous awards for her community service including the "I have a dream" award during the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial service at the King Community Center this year in Rock Island.
This modern American work is paired with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, originally written in honor of Napoleon Bonaparte. However, when Napoleon betrayed the democratic ideals of the French Revolution and declared himself emperor, Beethoven famously scratched “Buonaparte” from the top of the score and dedicated the work to heroes more generally with the title “Sinfonia Eroica” or Heroic Symphony.To read program notes, click here.
For Johnnie M. Woods full bio, click here.
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