Dreams of the Fallen

This week on Going Beyond Words and ACDA Radio Stan Schmidt invites you to a special Fourth of July Celebration called Dreams of the Fallen a 25 minute work composed by Jake Runestad in 2013.  The Premiere was presented by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Symphony Chorus of New Orleans at the National World War II Museum New Orleans.    The performance you will hear was aired on Minnesota Public Radio on Memorial Day 2017 that took place in 2015 featuring the VocalEssence Singers and Chorus of Minneapolis, Piano Soloist, Jeffrey Biegel and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra led by Conductor Philip Brunelle.

Dreams of the Fallen was composed by Jake Runestad with Poetry by Brian Turner, an award winning poet and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The work was commissioned by acclaimed Pianist Jeffrey Biegel.  The composer indicates in his notes that he sought thematic material that would allow the piano to embody a character or person who could speak clearly and directly to the listener.  He found two fundamental needs of returning soldiers: First, a sense of closure to the war experience and  second, support from a community of friends and family.  Runestad states that,”the goal of Dreams of the Fallen is to serve as a ceremony addressing the life changing experiences of war and to reveal these stories through Music.”

A special thanks goes to Philip Brunelle Artistic Director of VocalEssence, Mary Ann Aufderheide, Executive Director of Vocal Essence for helping to make available  the recording for this broadcast and to Andrew Alness for supplying a copy of the performance to share with you.

For a look at the CD’s used and a complete list of the music heard go to the blog of WWW.GOINGBEYONDWORDS.COM website and click on show 2337.