Chamber Concert III
GOD BLESS AMERICA

In the United States, religion and homeland are an inseparable pair. 

The master of minimalism, John Adams, got inspiration for his most famous piano piece from a crossroads. Long ago, on the border of the states of California and Nevada stood a famous gas station, motel, and restaurant. In 1973, the station was rolled under a new highway, and today the site is named after the road branch at Hallelujah Junction. 

The Vietnam War, which lasted for almost 20 years, brought human suffering before the eyes of the whole world and forced even composers to take a stand. The most shocking of these compositions is the Black Angels by American George Crumb, a work that depicts the battle between good and evil on the fringes of death, with a hair-raising intensity. This chamber music work, also a favorite of David Bowie, delivers surreal powers with electricity, percussions and crystal glasses, and the performance is a thrill that every music lover should experience at least once in their lives. 

Samuel Barber’s Adagio represented grief in the Vietnam-film Platoon – Young Soldiers. Now it is heard as a choral arrangement, with lyrics of Agnus Dei, as a symbol of a bright future.

Vanessa Cunha | piano
Mika Rännäli | piano

Oulu Symphony Chamber Musicians:
Maija Wesslund | violin
Heidi Ilmolahti | violin
Johanna Tuikka | viola
Juhana Ritakorpi | cello

Soma Ensemble ja Voces-yhtye
Raimo Paaso | conductor

PROGRAM

John Adams: Hallelujah Junction
George Crumb: Black Angels “Thirteen Images from the Dark Land”
Samuel Barber: Agnus Dei Op. 11
Missy Mazzoli: A Thousand Tongues

YLE will record the God Bless America concert on Saturday, March 19th 2022.