The Knox-Galesburg Symphony is opening its new season with a bold choice— a performance of Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” narrated in the voice of Galesburg native, poet, and Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg.
It’s part of a concert meant to reflect the country’s spirit through word and song, even in times of division and turmoil.
Copland wrote “Lincoln Portrait’ in 1942, during World War II and a global fight against fascism and authoritarianism. Sandburg was a notable narrator in performances of the work that pairs Copland’s orchestral score with excerpts of Lincoln’s speeches and letters. As the words of Lincoln and music of Copland converge at Galesburg’s Orpheum Theatre, the voice of Sandburg will come alive in his hometown through actor Steve Duchrow.
“Carl Sandburg earned the moniker, the poet of the people. The people's poet,” Duchrow said. “Primarily because he was a defender of the common person and he said, to write about the lowly, you need to know the lowly.”
Like Lincoln and Copland, Sandburg came from humble beginnings.
“They become great, and what's great about the ‘Lincoln Portrait,’ it embodies three great art forms. First of all, just the prose of Lincoln. Then you have the rendering and reading of the poet Sandburg, and then you have Copland's music. These are three masters that drove to the highest heights,” Duchrow said.
Duchrow, as Sandburg, will recite five passages of Lincoln’s words during the performance at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Orpheum Theatre, 57 S. Kellogg St. He said this is a rare opportunity to hear Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” on the stage of the historic theater in the town where Sandburg and Lincoln both walked.
“That’s an inspiring evening. I would say that if people come and they're not inspired, and they don't get chills, that we’ll have a doctor check their pulse,” Duchrow said. “I think Americans want inspiration right now. They want inspiration toward each other. And all of those words are saying, you know, we're in this together.”
While “Lincoln Portrait” is at the heart of the symphony’s season-opening concert, there’s more to it. The show also includes Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” which was also written in 1942, and celebrates the sacrifices of ordinary Americans during World War Two. There’s also Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” commonly considered a song of grief and mourning, and George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”
Steve Jackson is serving as operations director for the Knox-Galesburg Symphony, following the departures this year of its executive director and principal conductor. He said the symphony put together this concert of early twentieth-century masters to draw a crowd during this period of leadership transition for the symphony, and to open the season on a strong note.
“But also really make a statement about the times that we’re in. We want to bring hope to people, and bring this feeling of personal, human dignity,” Jackson said.
This music and these words will be performed at the Orpheum amid a growing tide of political violence and unrest in America. Jackson said the concert is an acknowledgement of the turmoil and uncertainty plaguing the country right now—and of the turmoil of 1942, when Copland’s “Fanfare” and “Lincoln Portrait” were written.
Now, as then, Jackson said, art inspires and unites us.
“When we're doing these kind of performances, it's not just about entertainment. It's about having real meaning, real inspiration, and just an impetus to do something, to get out there and do something to make a difference for other people and for yourselves,” Jackson said.
Duchrow said a concert like this can be transformative, as it melds art forms and bridges the past and the present.
“You walk into a theater. You’re there for two hours. You walk out, and you hear the world differently. You see the world differently. You see other people differently,” Duchrow said.
The Knox-Galesburg Symphony’s season-opening concert featuring “Lincoln Portrait” is directed by Western Illinois University music professor Richard Cangro. Tickets are available online or through the Orpheum Theatre’s box office.
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