Tragedy and Release
The anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is always a solemn occasion, of course, and while some of the sting of that awful day has begun to be replaced with a less immediate sense of general mourning for many Americans, we need only look back at some of the music that was written and performed in its aftermath to remember the unfathomable impact of such violence on our national consciousness.
There was anger, of course, most notoriously exemplified by Toby Keith's crass and juvenile tribute to America's ability to kick foreign ass, "Courtesy of the Red, White And Blue." But despite the furor over that song, which many commentators used as an indicator of the growing polarization of America in the months and years after the attacks, the country anthem written in the wake of 9/11 that has stood the test of time was a much more introspective one, penned by Alan Jackson.
Classical composers also leaped to respond to the tragedy, with John Adams' monumental symphony, On the Transmigration of Souls, being the most prominent and widely performed new work to be inspired. But for me, the music that will always carry with it the memory of the terrible events of that day, as well as the hope we all felt as we watched the country come together in mourning, is the Nimrod movement from Elgar's Enigma Variations.
It was this gut-wrenching four minutes of music that the Minnesota Orchestra played on our season-opening concerts, just two days after the attacks, as a tribute to the fallen. Before beginning, our music director, Eiji Oue, asked that the audience remain silent after we'd finished, as a gesture of respect and remembrance for all who had lost their lives that day. I'll never forget that silence - there were tears running down my face, and I could hear several choked sobs both on and offstage - but I'll also never forget how cathartic it felt to be able to respond to such unimaginable hate with unimaginable beauty...
There was anger, of course, most notoriously exemplified by Toby Keith's crass and juvenile tribute to America's ability to kick foreign ass, "Courtesy of the Red, White And Blue." But despite the furor over that song, which many commentators used as an indicator of the growing polarization of America in the months and years after the attacks, the country anthem written in the wake of 9/11 that has stood the test of time was a much more introspective one, penned by Alan Jackson.
Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning - Alan Jackson
Classical composers also leaped to respond to the tragedy, with John Adams' monumental symphony, On the Transmigration of Souls, being the most prominent and widely performed new work to be inspired. But for me, the music that will always carry with it the memory of the terrible events of that day, as well as the hope we all felt as we watched the country come together in mourning, is the Nimrod movement from Elgar's Enigma Variations.
It was this gut-wrenching four minutes of music that the Minnesota Orchestra played on our season-opening concerts, just two days after the attacks, as a tribute to the fallen. Before beginning, our music director, Eiji Oue, asked that the audience remain silent after we'd finished, as a gesture of respect and remembrance for all who had lost their lives that day. I'll never forget that silence - there were tears running down my face, and I could hear several choked sobs both on and offstage - but I'll also never forget how cathartic it felt to be able to respond to such unimaginable hate with unimaginable beauty...
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with Daniel Barenboim
Labels: seminal moments
posted by Sam at
1:38 PM
2 Comments:
This brought tears to my eyes, Sam. I love the Nimrod variation and whenever I hear it on the radio, I stop and listen. Now it has this connection for me.
Music is a powerful connection to a moment in time. It includes the emotion as well as the sound of the time. I remember watching a performance of the Brahms "Ein Deutsches Requiem" a few nights after 9/11, a requiem chosen because it is so inclusive of all religions and so spiritual in its depth.
After the Challenger blew up in 1986, the music was Barber's "Adagio for Strings." Every time I hear that piece now, I think of the Challenger crew and seeing the video of the disaster.
In trying to keep this post relatively brief, I neglected to mention my favorite rock song inspired by the attacks and their aftermath: "Here's to Everyone," by Minnesota's own Martin Zellar. A sampling of the lyrics:
Here's to running with the crowd,
here's to playing music loud.
Here's to life, here's to love,
here's to being free...
Here's to letting go of fear,
here's to all that we hold dear.
Here's to you, here's to me,
here's to everyone.
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