Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

~~~

General John Kelly: "He said that, in his opinion, Mr. Trump met the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator if allowed, and had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of rule of law."

Friday, November 23, 2012

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Performance of "Sleep"

Eric Whitacre's "Sleep."

Enjoy.






Here's the story of this composer's project.

1 comment:

FreeThinke said...

Truly a wonderful thing!

Touches upon the sublime.

Serene beyond compare -- calming-- refreshing -- transcendent -- balm to the soul.

An extraordinary achievement.

Whitacre, of course, is charismatic -- mesmeric -- unusually gifted in his ability to attract disparate people as individuals and then draw them together united in a common purpose greater than themselves.

One falls easily under Whitacre's spell. You feel as though you'd follow him anywhere without hesitation, if he called upon you.

Astonishing that a person who seems so simple, unaffected, down-to-earth and congenial could be in such extraordinarily close touch with what-I-have-to-call The Unifiying Spirit of the Cosmos!

The most amazing thing about this is the way it transcends the complex technology on which it is so heavily dependent, and creates a warmly human, very touching work of art.

In the wrong hands a gift like Eric Whitacre's could be extremely dangerous. Lenin had it. Hitler had it, and so have a host of other despots and ruthless exploiters.

Whitacre, however, seems blest with a benevolent sense of purpose much stronger than egoism run amok. His ego, strong though it surely must be, seems subservient to Something greater than himself.

I listened to both videos carefully. The first one twice in succession, and felt myself slipping comfortably away to a Better Place.

It may be subconscious on Whitacre's part, but I perceive a deep connection with the music -- and the spirit -- of Samuel Barber. "Sleep" is highly evocative of Barber's Adagio for Strings without in any way being an imitation.

A lovely gift with which to round off Thanksgiving weekend.

Thank you very much, Ms. Shaw.

~ FreeThinke