For the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the Spokane Symphony, in Spokane, Washington, commissioned an original work to honor Abraham Lincoln.
On February 28, 2009, the Spokane Symphony presented the world premier of Letters from Lincoln at the Martin Woldson Theater, known as the Fox Theater.
Only one year later, a CD recording of that live performance is being issued in DVD form, and being played on radio stations across the country on Presidents' Day, February 15, 2010.
Here is how an original piece of music voyaged from an idea to a reality.
Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States 1861 to 1865
Abraham Lincoln (1809 to 1865) has been the living example to all Americans and the world that a humble, honest, working person who came from living in a log cabin, studying, and participating in community life, can become President of the United States.
To honor Lincoln's contributions to end slavery and keep the country together, the Spokane Symphony asked Michael Daugherty to compose the music, and Thomas Hampsonwas to sing the part of Lincoln. The production would be conducted by Music Director Eckart Preu of the Spokane Symphony.
As with any endeavor, funding is vital, in this case from the Bruce Ferden Fund for New Music.
Composer Michael Daugherty
Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance, Michael Daugherty is known being one of the ten living American composers whose work is most performed. He came to world prominence in 1994 when his Metropolis Symphony was played at Carnegie Hall.
To research the music, Daugherty read Lincoln's letters. The words came alive for Daugherty when he was visiting Gettysburg Battlefield, which immediately inspired the music.
As Daugherty explains, "Lincoln's impassioned writings, from his youth as a poor boy in the backwoods of Kentucky to his tragic death as President of the United States, have moved me to take his own words, both public and private, and set them to song."
Baritone Thomas Hampson
Thomas Hampson was raised in Spokane, Washington, receiving his degrees from Eastern Washington University and Fort Wright College, with honorary doctorates from Whitworth University and the Scan Francisco Conservatory.
After performing in Dosseldorf's Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Hampson has develped his talent and flexibility in repetoire, leading to his present position of the 2009-2010 Artist in Residence at the New York Philharmonic. He is one of the most sought-after singers in the world.
Hampson is especially interested in American music, and in working with the Library of Congress to contribute to the archive collections.
Conductor Eckart Preu
Music Director of the Spokane Symphony, Eckart Preu completed his graduate studies, earning a masters from the Hochschule fur Musik in Weimar, Germany. He conducted around the world until accepting the invitation to conduct the Spokane Symphony, where audiences enjoy his knowledgable and engaging talks about the music they will be hearing.
In deciding to commission a new piece of music, Preu discussed the roles of discovery and rediscovery in the symphony experience, by alluding to famous musicians such as Mozart and Bach, and the importance of searching for additional music from the past and supporting music made in the present:
In a symphony program, in an article titled "Musical Discovery: The Name of the Game." Preu states:
""Music teaches us about us. It reflects our emotions. It reveals glimpses of the past...There is a lot of fantastic music beyond the tried and true. Part of our mission is to identify those pieces and rip them out of the abyss of oblivion."
The Spokane Symphony's 70 Piece Orchestra
With the release of the 2010 CD Letters of Lincoln, the musicians in the Spokane Symphony have an opportunity to show the nation and the world that great music and great musicians exist even in little towns in eastern Washington State.
References
Letters from Lincoln EPK/Thomas Hampson YouTube
Hessler, Alexander. " Abraham Lincoln." Springfield, IL on June 3, 1860, Two weeks after Lincoln's nomination. Wikimedia Commons
Lawson, Robert. " Lincoln Home National Historic Site." Springfield, Illinois. 2006.
Preu, Eckart. "Musical Discovery: The Name of the Game." Spokane Symphony Program. 2009 to 2010 Season. Spokane, Washington
Spokane Symphony
Teresa Knudsen - Teresa's writing appears in the British Library, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Online she has written for USA Today and E How.
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