Black Lives Matter and Roma Solidarity Protest By Antoni K.
I wish I could say that a few years ago, before coming to AAS, I would have still felt obliged to kneel for 8 minutes, 46 seconds in George Floyd tribute 12 days after his murder at the hands of a white police officer. But I can’t.
As countries go, Poland is truly emblematic of homogenous societies. That’s not her sore spot though; that honor must be reserved to the xenophobia that when a time is right, morphs into racial hatred in a flash. How beautiful would it be if stereotypes like this were but a bad joke repeated out of love for the inconceivable? Hate is subtle though, and it assumes many forms; its most vicious, most ravenous guise is never a nasty slogan or an invidious word. It’s ignorance.
Having attended an all-white school almost my entire life and lived in what’s virtually an all-white country, coming to AAS was a needle that shattered my bubble in an instant. Everything has already been said about what it means to immerse in a melting pot, to realize your culture is a mere drop. For me, it’s never been as palpable as today.
I stood there amongst hundreds who at that moment believed in the same ideals and endured the same pain even if never to understand what it meant. But I wouldn’t have felt it two years before. I wouldn’t have even tried to recognize the possibility of sending my ignorance into eternal exile. Today I wasn’t there to profess a right to anger; I was there because it felt right. I’m grateful to have let my ignorance pass through me so that now only I remain. I’m grateful for my educators. I’ve never seen Mr. Phillips give up on anyone or take a single breath in-between his lessons. I know I’m hardly the only one to have recognized by now the character growth he has set in motion. What I wish to say to his departure is that I’m glad to see him leave with a bang.
Photo No. 2 Credit: Anastas Tarpanov Photography
Mr. Phillips Farewell Speech (Transcript by Tomas A.) Conducted by Antoni K.
Mr. Phillips: Today, AAS community it’s been incredible five years to have it end in a pandemic and the explosion of emotion concerning not only the death of George Floyd but so many other black people dying at the hands of white supremacists and abusive police.
I want to say thank you for those that have supported in so many different ways. Come talk to me not just about these issues of inequality, but everything that we’ve done. Thank you for those that I have coached, thank you for those that I have taught, thank you for those that I have had conversations with in the hallway and just connected with on so many different levels. I am so grateful for my time here, I am so grateful for the students, my colleagues, the friends I’ve made here in AAS and outside of AAS. I am a better person because of Bulgaria, I am a better person because of AAS, I am a better person because of y’all. Thank you all, I love you all, I wish you all the best.
Awfully Brief Alumni Anecdote By Julie D. Some of the things I was most nervous for, for university, were the new people, the new place and having to do it all alone. In terms of the new people, don’t worry about “not making any friends” you will! All first years who come to your university from all over the world are in the same situation. They are just as nervous to start a conversation and just as nervous about getting to know new people, so just go for it. For the new place, yes you need to make sure you can manage your time well. Depending on your situation, you may need to think about making sure you have done the groceries every week, making sure you are in class on time every day, making sure you are at practice on time, making sure you have done your washing before you run out of clothes. Despite all this, it is awesome that you get to do it your way, without anyone telling you how to, so use that freedom to make a system that works for you. Additionally, please remind yourself you are not alone. Every first year student is in the same situation as you are, so be there for each other and help each other. That won’t only lead to friendships but it also helps you settle in faster and better. Lastly, go to university and go have some fun, take the opportunity to meet new people, explore new places and enjoy it to the best of your abilities.
Gustav Mahler: Ten Symphonies for all of us (Ranked) By Tomas A.
Yes, it has come time for Tomas to talk about more classical music. This time I was prompted by the Mahler festival which recently took place online with historic recordings of all ten Mahler Symphonies set free from the archives of the Royal Concertgebouw (one of the most important music institutions in Europe). Who was Mahler? He was an Austro-Bohemian composer and orchestra conductor who reached international fame especially for his staging of operas by Richard Wagner. He conducted some of the leading orchestras in the world in cities like Vienna, Prague, and New York until his death on May 18, 1911 (which is when I’m writing this article coincidentally). But without much further context of Mahler’s life, we can dive into my personal ranking of his symphonies. The Ranking: To me, all Mahler symphonies are first and foremost masterpieces, it is important to take into account that I don’t consider any of his symphonies to be bad. The ranking is based on my superficial musical analysis of the music and the strength of my emotional response to each individual symphony. I’ll also include my favorite recording of each.
10. Symphony No. 8 “Symphony of a Thousand” We start off our ranking with a bang, imagine you walk into a concert hall and you see one thousand people warming up to deliver a colossal performance of this symphony. It is truly an incredible experience, the instrumentation of the symphony involves a large orchestra and multiple choirs making all together 1,000 musicians. In terms of themes, the symphony involves an exploration of the divine, it explores God, the creation, mankind, and coming of age. It was composed remarkably fast for a work of such scale and it is truly a very powerful thing to listen to. The reason, however it ranks 10th is because it is musically less intricate (in my opinion) than the rest of his work. In other symphonies, we will discover how Mahler uses the orchestra to truly showcase his compositional genius. The eighth though, being a piece composed with such urgence and speed, it lacks some of the musical experimentation that we see in other symphonies. Nevertheless, Mahler 8 is a towering experience, who doesn’t want a concert hall with 1,000 musicians blasting music about the meaning of life and the creation of the universe for a solid hour and 25 minutes? The recording I chose is from this year’s online Mahler festival, it features Mariss Jansons conducting the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
9. Symphony No. 4 Now we have Mahler 4, a beautiful symphony especially in the final movement where we hear a beautiful song called The Heavenly Song. The symphony is an ode to childhood in itself
presenting elements associated with children such as bells and whistles and referring constantly to many of Mozart’s compositional techniques (after the beginning bells in the first movement we hear a melody that sounds borrowed from one of Mozart’s operas). The entire symphony presents a musical voyage, it takes the listener through a journey between two distinct musical universes (G major to E major). Personally, my favorite movements are the first and the last and overall I believe this is the lightest of the Mahler symphonies (without being at all superficial) The recording I chose is by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra directed by Colombian conductor Andrés Orozco Estrada.
8. Symphony No. 6 “Tragic” Probably the most notable element of this symphony is the Mahler hammer which makes its appearance in the fourth movement. Essentially one of the percussionists takes out an enormous hammer and loudly strikes a wooden box with it. Seeing that huge hammer mid-symphony is probably one of the most anticipated moments in music. There is more to Mahler 6 than just the hammer. It is a very intense symphony with an absolutely gorgeous slow movement (Mahler did not specify whether the slow movement should be included after the first or after the second movement so you’ll hear many different performances). It is also quite important since it is the last of Mahler’s symphonies that holds on to the new romantic period of music, his seventh is a huge contrast where Mahler becomes an impressionist in his outlook embracing some techniques from modern music. More on that later. I ranked the sixth as my top 8 since I never connected with it at such a deep level. There is no question it is worth listening to though. I chose a recording from the Lucerne Festival directed by Claudio Abaddo.
7. Symphony No. 5 Beginning the symphony with a military-sounding chant by a trumpet, Mahler embarks in a melodramatic journey where he leads us through his vision of the classical symphony. Often regarded as the most ‘textbook’ symphony Mahler wrote, the fifth simply indulges the listener into dozens of heart wrenching themes in every single movement. The crowning jewels of the symphony I believe are the final two movements. The fourth, marked Adagietto is one of Mahler’s most celebrated movements of his entire work. Listening to the Adagietto may be the most beautiful 7 minutes you spend this week. The fifth movement is also beautiful with Mahler putting a bunch of sophisticated musical techniques in the movement to bamboozle the critics and including some of the most beautiful string passages in symphonic literature. What a trip! I chose the recording of the World Orchestra for Peace conducted by the legendary Valery Gergiev.
You may ask why it is not titled ‘symphony’ like all the others which were included in this list. Well simply because our good old Mahler feared death. Composers have a habit of dying in the process of writing their ninth symphony. Sibelius, Schubert, and Beethoven are only a few examples of this. Mahler, being very superstitious decided to title the symphonic work he produced after his eighth symphony a ‘song cycle’ in order to avoid being sucked up by ‘the curse of the ninth’. The work translates to The Song of the Earth where Mahler pays praise to the elements of the natural world and human life in a series of songs. It is definitely worth listening to or at least reading the lyrics. I chose a recording by Fabio Luisi and the Royal Concertgebouw orchestra.
5. Symphony No.7 “Song of the night” This is the first symphony by Mahler that doesn’t end with an extremely joyous and optimistic finale, and I love it for that. Mahler pieces together multiple scenes of the night and begins including unconventional instruments such as the guitar and the mandolin into the orchestra. For me this symphony ranks rather highly because it is extremely unique, it’s a very stark and real representation of what night meant to Mahler. He had some beautiful starry skies to look at while he was at his summer cottage composing and we hear all that landscape drawn into his seventh. I chose the recording by Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic.
4. Symphony No. 1 “Titan” It is an incredible work of music and often the first that people encounter when coming into contact with Mahler. It is his first symphony and it is where he explores his Jewish and bohemian heritage by using Jewish music to drive the third movement. What impresses me about Mahler’s first is that he was able to produce not only a symphony larger than what was usual, but that he also established his entire musical style with one major work. My favorite movement is the fourth partially because it is very fun to play for the strings and because it is just very heartwarming to listen to. There is a certain beauty to hearing 100+ musicians blasting music at you in a hall and surely Mahler knew that. In all his last movements can connect on a very deep emotional level with his audience. The recording I chose is by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra directed by Colombian conductor Andrés Orozco Estrada.
3. Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” Mahler probably thought to himself “I had some success with my first symphony and I’m ready to start something new, probably not too large since I’m only starting to establish myself as a composer, ah I know! In my second Symphony I will only explore Life, Death, the concept of God, and the Resurrection of the human soul!”
He definitely delivered, the second symphony manages to explore death in the first movement, life in the second movement, nihilism in the third movement, the human condition in the fourth movement, and the concept of resurrection in the fifth. It is a symphony I love so dearly that I limit the amount of times I listen to it in order to keep it special. Mahler’s resurrection symphony will definitely bring tears to your eyes no matter how many times you listen to it. I chose the recording by Gustavo Dudamel with the Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra at the BBC proms. It also explains some of the context behind the symphony which always helps.
2. Symphony No. 3 The longest symphony by a major composer. Mahler’s third symphony showcases the composer’s signature move of fearlessly dealing with huge questions of our existence through his music. In it he explores nature, the place of mankind in the universe, and the divine supernatural forces. In the first movement he makes the orchestra embody the ‘march of Spring’ where the Greek god Pan enters after the end of the winter, the second movement is called ‘what the flowers tell me’, the third is called ‘what the animals tell me’ (it is probably the best musical equivalent to a conversation you will hear, and Mahler uses no words). The fourth movement is a beautiful pensive song by Nietszche called ‘Oh Man’, the fifth is a playful song with a children and women’s choir called ‘what the angels tell me’ and the colossal final movement is named ‘what love tells me’. That final movement. It just breaks your heart, probably the movement in classical music that has made people cry the most, don’t quote me on that though. I chose the recording by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Mariss Jansons.
1. Symphony No. 9 In short, I chose the ninth to be in first place simply because it may be my favorite piece of music. It is an all encompassing symphony and listening to it we are driven to see the soul of Mahler, of a composer who knows he is dying and has accepted it. The symphony contains four incredible movements and the final one is what has made every conductor of classical music rave about the symphony. Many times the end of this movement is described as the closest music has come to representing death. In the first movement Mahler begins with a hesitant theme which Bernstein considered to be a representation of his heartbeat after having been diagnosed with a severe cardiac condition, this is however juxtaposed with the intense funeral march that is later presented in the movement with the strings playing dramatic melodies and french horns playing a muted fanfare. In this movement Mahler brings his experimentation of dissonance to another level, In the seventh we see him use dissonance as a form of tension especially in the second and fourth movement. In his ninth dissonance plays a shaping role as if Mahler were fully embracing it in his musical dialogue, accepting it into his soul. The third movement is perhaps the most musically sophisticated of the symphony and again Mahler makes all the critics of the movement dizzy with his height of musical complexity. The movement is very fun to listen to, it has a sort of passive aggressive playfulness to it that drives listeners mad.
The final movement of the symphony will bring tears to your eyes, if you are present and open to it the fourth movement of Mahler’s ninth can be a life changing experience. In the music we see Mahler holding on to the music as if ending the symphony will end his life. The ending two pages of the symphony are 6 minutes long roughly and it is the orchestra taking the audience on a journey from colossal sound to absolute silence, or death. Mahler never heard this symphony performed in a concert hall. You all can. I chose a recording by Bernard Haitink and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Why should you listen? There are two beliefs that I hold very dearly, the first is that Mahler’s symphonies are outstandingly beautiful. The second is that as Nuccio Ordine says: beauty makes humanity more human, hopefully if you ever listen to any of these works you will feel like your heart is doing somersaults in your chest. Mahler is not necessarily easy to access, I personally took a few years to understand his music and actually attentively listen to it. Nevertheless I believe that if you, reader, are ever feeling lost or broken you will find something for your soul inside any of the aforementioned symphonies.
Photo Credit
The Battle of the Brains Organized by Lola W. and Kincaid F. to bring some of the AAS School Spirit back before we say goodbye for the summer. It is a trivia game you can sign up for here.
Huge thank you to Keith P. for the advertisement.
History of the Slasher Film By Antoni K.
I have probably submerged in every film genre, subgenre, and movement that there is— from mumblecore through Italian neorealism to countless cults—but there is hardly a genre as bizarre as a slasher. Firstly, a short definition: these films are built around a group of conspicuously half-witted protagonists and a serial killer driven by an equally inconceivable (my one The Princess Bride per day) motive. According to the canon, slashers comprise three waves: classical, self-referential, and the current, neoslasher cycle. In spite of everything one may read about these films, I must argue against labeling them as another horror subgenre; their creators may just be the most defying and self-aware filmmakers in the business and their dialogue with the whole range of social contexts is nothing short of outstanding. Hopefully, by the end of my scribble, you too will feel compelled to give them credit for being a genre in their own right. On this note, god help you if you ever voluntarily watch one. The history of slasher goes way back. As a proverbial saying chiefly concerned with the exquisite quality of Italian infrastructure suggests, one can trace the chain of blood-craving markets back to Ancient Rome. This may seem a bit far-fetched, but hear me out: what we have is a bloody spectacle and thousands of spectators cheering at the most inappropriate time; if this doesn’t sound a bit like watching a slasher in a murky grindhouse or a drive-in theatre then I don’t know what does. One inconspicuous difference may be that gladiators bothering one another to the delight of the masses was all too real, but I’m sure you get my point - the entertainment market was quite literally bathing in blood. Let’s jump forward some 2000 years and we find ourselves dwarfed against the Parisian Le Théâtre du Grand- Guignol: the birthplace of disturbingly naturalistic horror shows. It’s much easier to fathom how these constituted a link in the chain that finally brings us to our first two slasher prototypes: Powell’s Peeping Tom and Hitchcock’s Psycho, both of which were notably realized the same year (1960). The former came to be an abysmal critical failure effectively bringing Powell’s thriving career crashing down, the latter though, proved a huge commercial and critical success. As different as the responses to these two may have been, both pushed the line of what was deemed acceptable to show on the silver screen. A serial killer capturing his victims’ final expression of terror and Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates now both constitute a pantheon of horror icons that reshaped the American cinema. Eighteen years have passed and John Carpenter is finally ready to turn the genre on its head by releasing what is cited as the first true slasher film. It is the year 1978, the history geeks among you will surely recognize it as the very same year when
the cult leader James Warren Jones orchestrated the notorious mass-murder suicide in his Jonestown jungle commune, which took a death toll of as many as 918 people. Add the unpopular presidency of Jimmy Carter and it’s easy to see why the social landscape was hardly all roses; people were inclined to look for a safe scare. And this Carpenter delivered albeit the beginnings were tough, to say the least. Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis—funnily enough, Janet Leigh’s (Psycho’s ill-fated lead) daughter—was initially a critical disaster; coupled with the limiting regional distribution its fate seemed just about sealed. Gods of cinema were curious where the whole thing was going though; eventually grossing $47 million in the US upon its release, Halloween remains one of the most financially successful independent pictures. What exactly made that possible? Well, word-of-mouth marketing did the trick. And the slashers era has begun. Two years later Sean Cunningham takes the genre a step further. Before I get into how unprecedented of a film Friday the 13th (1980) has been, I shall cite the hiring of Thomas Savini, a prosthetic makeup artist, as the single most ingenious and game-changing decision in the American cinema history. Remember Psycho? Why wasn’t it in color you may ask, and rightly so given that his previous two hits, Vertigo (1958) and North by Northwest (1958), were not exactly shot in monochrome. Well, at the time blood wasn’t particularly acceptable. Twenty years later and the depiction of the gushing ichor is still very much restrained, that is, until Friday the 13th took the cinemas by storm. Savini delightfully encapsulates the essence of the project when recalling that the main concern was figuring out “how to kill these teenagers''. Yeah, there’s a lot of killing. It’s not just that the characters die en masse; it’s how they die. It wasn’t just bloody; by the standards of the time, the violence was excessive, subversive, and outrageous. People loved it. But for the mass audience to fall in love, the film first must have made its way to the cinemas. And guess what, distributors loved it too. Waiting for someone to sue them as they began to advertise the film by its original title (Cunningham thought someone already owned the rights), the crew didn’t exactly expect what was to unfold. Friday the 13th became the
first slasher with a big studio behind it, setting a precedent that further reshaped the American Cinema. There is yet another reason why these two films, along with Prom Night, were so important. Namely, they established the blueprint for others to follow. Think of a virtually invincible Boogeyman, an epitome of all the society’s fears. When Halloween was released, virtually every house had a babysitter so a killer targeting these women became a resonant and a terrifying vision. The 80’s slashers are known for condemning sexually promiscuous teens, largely as a response to the immense AIDS hysteria. The antithesis to these bound-to-die-violently characters is the so-called final girl, who conversely epitomizes the moral code that the society of the time deemed most appropriate; virtuous and virginal in the ’80s. This shameless conventionality has been the chief target of the genre’s most prolific critics. However, there is quite a case to be made there against such assumptions. One needs not look further than certain Dario Argento - a filmmaker best known for his work in the slasher subgenre, Italia Giallo, he accomplished something outstanding: gore, quite ubiquitous in his films, paradoxically became a part of his exquisite artistic palette. Just watch Suspiria and you will get the idea. In 1984, Wes Craven released his A Nightmare on Elm Street, which ultimately belied the claim that slashers were but a dangerous garbage (Which for the purpose of this article and its readers’ well-being, they are). But what exactly were the critics arguing? One of the slashers’ most fierce ones was Roger Ebert, the man to whom film criticism owes the most. While his work and immense contributions to film criticisms are admirable, this time he might have gotten it all wrong. Calling slashers a women-hating and violence-inducing genre may not have been exactly right. Remember, it’s the ‘80s we are talking about; if I recall correctly, saying women were underrepresented in the industry both as heroines and behind the camera would be a huge euphemism. Slashers offered a platform to make that change; it is usually the misogyny that ends up cut to pieces and female heroines emerge victoriously. Female feminist directors, most notably Amy Holden Jones, were also in charge of some of these projects making it one of the most progressive genres in Hollywood; Amy Jones herself had to defend her work from the critics (that’s right, a bunch of white males) who panned slashers for being inherently sexist. Slashers were simply an easy target for those too lazy to recognize their comment on what Jones denominates society’s underlying, oftentimes very female, fears. Now the true crème de la crème among the criticisms: a conjecture that slashers are straight out dangerous. At some point, the hate was so prevalent that some of these films were bullied out of the cinemas. The main argument was, and I’m hardly exaggerating, that they turn one into a blood-seeking monster overnight. Supposedly, while watching a slasher, one root for the killer, not for the victims. There is obviously a lot to unpack here since curiosities continue to pile up. While making a sweet headline in a second-rate magazine, this notion communicates a
misunderstanding of the genre: the essence of what every good slasher evokes is fear and as a viewer, I root for the protagonist to overcome the boogeyman and triumph, to experience a visceral catharsis. This bad press really left its mark on the cinematic landscape. Just think The Silence of the Lambs (1991). What do you think they labeled this Oscar-winning film? A slasher? A horror? By its release, a “psychological thriller” was the exact term. Clearly, slashers needed some fresh blood; thankfully Wes Craven was ready to make a comeback, and a glorious one too. His Scream (1996) likely utilized every existing slasher trope while introducing something altogether new: for the very first time, someone married slasher and humor. The history of a slasher is far from over and the likes of Ari Aster continue to zealously poke its limits with a stick. This very adaptability and plasticity is exactly what makes their story a one worth exploring and perhaps even more so than that of what film theorists would likely declare more legitimate and certainly less junk genres.
Sources: Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006 Documentary) by Jeff McQueen
Photo credits: Ancient Rome Gladiators Grand Guignol Jonestown Massacre Photograph Halloween Movie Poster Friday the 13th Movie Poster Prom Night Movie Poster Suspiria Movie Poster A Nightmare on Elm Street Scream Movie Poster
Untitled By Eva W.
We Must Diversify our Concert Halls By Tomas A.
It is no secret that during the previous editions of this newsletter, despite discovering some interesting new music together, it may have seemed like there were only white European classical composers to talk about. In the light of the recent police violence against George Floyd I felt compelled to make an important promise to myself: that I would consciously explore black classical composers in order to fulfill my responsibilities as a classical musician and a human being: acknowledging the whole universe of classical music and having deep knowledge about composers from all backgrounds. It is true that in conservatories, music history classes don’t see a black person until the textbook reaches the Jazz and Blues section, before that it is all dominated by white European men, notably because the socio political structures have historically made it nearly impossible for a black person or a woman to succeed in the world of classical music, or overall the arts. Hence, during the past few days I have decided to explore black composers of classical music in order to share my findings with you. I really hope that once we can have public concerts, the violence against Geroge Floyd may compel orchestras to put more on their programs than just white European men. Here are a few unforgettable black composers which I have found over the past few days.
William Grant Still (1895-1978): He was the first composer I discovered when beginning my process of learning about black composers and I was truly impressed, particularly by his symphonic poem Africa. I really liked how he uses percussion and woodwind instruments throughout his work. Overall I just found this particular work by him incredible. He mixes some ethnofolkloric elements of African music with avant-garde conventions of European classical music at the time. A sort of transcendental “Ravel in the jungle”. In this tone poem he illustrates how the Post- Colonial black person sees Africa, as a land of peace, a land of romance, and a land of superstition. Needless to say, no matter how much you listen to European composers you will simply not get such a beautiful representation of Africa in any piece of music. This is why we need this kind of music in our halls.
Julia Perry (1924-1979): An excellent conductor, Pianist, and composer in the mid 1900s, Julia Perry is noted for her experimental works for orchestra which have been performed by the New York Philharmonic on several occasions. Looking into this composer I found an astonishing Stabat Mater by her. Using the text of Virgin Mary when she was mourning her son at the cross, Perry embarks on a journey exploring the situation of violence against African-American communities during the 20th century. It is a very powerful work and many musicologists have heavily associated it with the 2015 church shooting in South Carolina. Even after Perry’s death her work was unequivocally associated with the horrendous reality of the Charleston massacre which is an incredible achievement for any composer. Perhaps if we all listened to Perry’s piece after every incident involving white supremacy and felt the enormous repression and grief that the piece embodies, we would work faster to stop this brutal phenomenon.
Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745- 1799): The son of a slave and a slave labor camp owner (or plantation as we politely call them) Saint Georges was a genius. By the age of 20 he was the best fencer in France and he was also a renowned violin virtuoso and composer. Notably he influenced Mozart in terms of his whimsical and light musical style. Saint George wrote a huge body of musical work which is not often performed ranging from symphonies to concertos and chamber works. I came into closer contact with his music recently and I must say he produced some of the most cheerful pieces I have ever heard. However I find it a bit tragic that this genius composer is very obscure nowadays and despite being influential enough to inspire Mozart his music is very rarely performed.
The seven Last Words of the Unarmed The final piece I leave you all with is the masterwork by Joel Thompson that collects together the final words of 7 victims of the police shootings in the United States. Each victim has his own section in the piece. It is a reference to Haydn’s Seven Last words of Christ on the Cross which reveals a radically more tragic attitude. The allusion implies that these seven victims were already ‘on the cross’ as they said these words, as if somehow they had been sentenced to death already. It is a truly heartbreaking piece. A friend recommended it to me recently and the first time I listened I actually felt quite sick experiencing such an unapologetic fearless
representation of the horrors that police brutality has brought upon black communities. It is definitely worth listening to. My purpose here is to spread awareness of the fact that there are people who have transcended the built-in ethnic barriers that have been imposed on the world of classical music. These barriers have prevented us as a society from properly appreciating the sheer genius that black composers throughout history have ingrained in their work.
Photo Credit: https://interlude.hk/man-many-firsts-william-grant-still/william-grant-still/ https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/perry-julia-amanda-1924-1979/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevalier_de_Saint-Georges