Of Music and History

On the weekend of November 19-20, 2010, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presented the epic cantata Alexander Nevsky, by Sergei Prokofiev. Originally conceived as a film score to accompany the great director Sergei Eisenstein's 1938 movie of the same title, the music and the story it tells were designed to inspire and encourage the already war-weary Russian people as their greatest threat, World War II, loomed ahead, in which 22,000,000 Russians would lose their lives. Alexander Nevsky was the 13th century prince, warrior and, eventually, saint who guided Russia in its struggle against invading Swedes and Germans, sanctioned by the papacy. The Russian victory at that time demonstrated that victory is possible even in the direst of circumstances.

It is difficult to imagine an emotion not conveyed in Prokofiev's music: fear, bravery, grief, the rush of battle, the thirst for freedom, the stirrings of love, the thrill of victory, and, ultimately, happiness--all are present. SLSO Music Director led the orchestra and chorus through the visceral and fiery passages heavy with the thunder and fireworks of percussion, brass, bells, massed strings and woodwinds. With such a feast for the ears and eyes, the visual imagery of the the film, magnificent as it is, seemed almost unnecessary. Russian mezzo soprano Elena Manistina, marking her debut with the SLSO, added yet another layer of sensuality with her earthy and heartfelt outpouring of emotion for the fallen.

Who wouldn't want to experience a concert as magnificent as this? And yet the hall was far from filled. Could it be our present economic situation? (Symphony concerts don't come cheap.) Or have we been dumbed down to the point where we remain unmoved by poetry, history and musical skill?

How many students today know something of the events of the 13th century--or of any century other than the present one and the closing years of the 20th? It was only last year that a Ph.D. "educator", acting in an official position for the state of North Carolina, recommended that American history in public high schools in the state focus only on events from 1877 to the present. Yet the people of Russia reach as far back as the 1200's and earlier to study the exploits of their people and heroes.

Our school officials constantly tell us that they could deliver a quality education if we would only give them more money. Yet just recently we learned that the public schools of Newark, New Jersey, to cite but one example, are already spending in excess of $23,000.00 per student per year. (See my earlier post on this matter.)

There are still a lot of excellent teachers and schools in the US, but we must be ever-vigilant about what is being taught, what is not taught, and how it is delivered. Should we be demanding more? At this point, we simply cannot rely on "experts" to guide us.

Thanks,
Gary