Symphony No. 1
30’ / 2023I. Threads of Resilience (Prologue)
A brave few fight to preserve democracy at their own peril.
II. Shadow Empire
Something stirs beneath the façade of earnest discourse.
III. Viral Veil
A cacophony of stimulation blocks all critical inquiry.
IV. Sins of Inaction
Lulled into a disquieting current, the masses watch in horror as consequences mature.
V. Whispered Prayers ("Agnus Dei")
A timid, yet increasingly anguished prayer arises in defiance, followed by quiet acceptance, and eventually, the revelation of an enduring hope for peace.
‘Land of the Free’ speaks of a tenuous state of American freedom in which our delicate equilibrium of checks and balances struggles to endure. In this modern era of social media, perception supersedes reality and the immediacy of online dialog encourages provocation over critical inquiry. The symphony’s five movements depict an emotional journey through this reality—feelings of resilience, confusion, dread, love, anger, sadness, desperation…and, ultimately, hope. The work ends with an increasingly desperate prayer for peace, sung by a choir to the words of the Latin Mass movement “Agnus Dei” (“Lamb of God”):
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
—Latin
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
—English translation
