I have not often been a fan of concerts of patriotic music, especially those which have a heavy commercial tone to them. I find that these concerts too often celebrate a sort of superficial blind patriotism that makes me gag. There is too much blind “patriotism” and not enough intelligent thought.
The National Memorial Day Concert, broadcast on PBS and presented in the Mall of Washington, D.C., had a different tone to it that produced in me a different reaction: a lump in my throat and, at times, tears. Although the concert contained some of the same superficial elements that usually result in a negative emotional reaction from my body, there was something more meaningful in this concert.
The presentation by Colin Powell praising and recognizing the service of Vietnam veterans, the presentations from and about wounded veterans about many of the conflicts and wars that we have fought as a nation, and the presentation of the various
physical memorials located on the Mall in Washington, D.C. showed a more refined point of view of war and military service.
The goal of the concert seemed not necessarily to be one of cheering for our country’s military might or advancing our agenda for changing the world, but instead true and honest recognition of those who gave their lives in loyal service to our country, however misguided our government’s intentions may have been.
We could have done without Sara Brightman’s voice, but the selection of pieces she sang were ones of comfort and remembrance. To quite my surprise, we found out that John Schneider has an excellent baritone voice, even though what he sang was less to my liking. Gladys Knight was superb as usual. Maestro Erich Kunzel did a wonderful job holding all of the musical forces together, although some of the background music that was chosen was a little syrupy. Still, I have to admit losing it when Barber’s Adagio for Strings was played during the Vietnam segment. (Do you remember the movie Platoon? I lost it then, too.)
But it wasn’t the music that was necessarily the highlight of this program. A woman and his wounded vet spouse and a wife of a vet killed in action were present in the audience, and three actors recounted these persons recollections. General Colin Powell gave quite a moving speech recognizing Vietnam War veterans; his presentation was well balanced and commented on our change of attitude toward our current and former soldiers since the Vietnam War.
A few times during the presentation, the hope for peace was emphasized. Ms. Knight sang a beautiful rendition of “Let There Be Peace on Earth”, a song that usually is not dear to my heart, but in this context and sung by this artist did not produce the usual gag reflex and gave me a certain amount of a feeling of hope. Other presenters mentioned the hope that we can, through negotiation and understanding, work toward peace and not belligerently make war.
The closing music was Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”. I actually felt like singing along for a change —again, not one of my favorite pieces. But in this case — after watching a program that truly memorialized the sacrifice of (quite) a few for many, whatever the cause and cost — it felt more like an appropriate prayer to end the concert.
May we always respect and remember the service of our military personnel and especially remember those who have died. May we always pray for peace and never forget the horrors that have been inflicted on soldiers and civilians because of war.
The National Memorial Day Concert, broadcast on PBS and presented in the Mall of Washington, D.C., had a different tone to it that produced in me a different reaction: a lump in my throat and, at times, tears. Although the concert contained some of the same superficial elements that usually result in a negative emotional reaction from my body, there was something more meaningful in this concert.
The presentation by Colin Powell praising and recognizing the service of Vietnam veterans, the presentations from and about wounded veterans about many of the conflicts and wars that we have fought as a nation, and the presentation of the various
physical memorials located on the Mall in Washington, D.C. showed a more refined point of view of war and military service.
The goal of the concert seemed not necessarily to be one of cheering for our country’s military might or advancing our agenda for changing the world, but instead true and honest recognition of those who gave their lives in loyal service to our country, however misguided our government’s intentions may have been.
We could have done without Sara Brightman’s voice, but the selection of pieces she sang were ones of comfort and remembrance. To quite my surprise, we found out that John Schneider has an excellent baritone voice, even though what he sang was less to my liking. Gladys Knight was superb as usual. Maestro Erich Kunzel did a wonderful job holding all of the musical forces together, although some of the background music that was chosen was a little syrupy. Still, I have to admit losing it when Barber’s Adagio for Strings was played during the Vietnam segment. (Do you remember the movie Platoon? I lost it then, too.)
But it wasn’t the music that was necessarily the highlight of this program. A woman and his wounded vet spouse and a wife of a vet killed in action were present in the audience, and three actors recounted these persons recollections. General Colin Powell gave quite a moving speech recognizing Vietnam War veterans; his presentation was well balanced and commented on our change of attitude toward our current and former soldiers since the Vietnam War.
A few times during the presentation, the hope for peace was emphasized. Ms. Knight sang a beautiful rendition of “Let There Be Peace on Earth”, a song that usually is not dear to my heart, but in this context and sung by this artist did not produce the usual gag reflex and gave me a certain amount of a feeling of hope. Other presenters mentioned the hope that we can, through negotiation and understanding, work toward peace and not belligerently make war.
The closing music was Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”. I actually felt like singing along for a change —again, not one of my favorite pieces. But in this case — after watching a program that truly memorialized the sacrifice of (quite) a few for many, whatever the cause and cost — it felt more like an appropriate prayer to end the concert.
May we always respect and remember the service of our military personnel and especially remember those who have died. May we always pray for peace and never forget the horrors that have been inflicted on soldiers and civilians because of war.
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