Search - George Andoniadis :: Lincoln- A Poetic Opera

Modern Music That Moves Me

Graceful Space | NYC | 06/07/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As one of the singers in the chorus on this recording, I'd like to mention how much the musicians involved in this opera enjoyed performing it, which is by no means always the case with premieres of contemporary classical music, some of which comes across more like an arid intellectual exercise than a living art form. But George Andoniadis' haunting vocal lines and orchestration breathe life and soul into the poignant libretto crafted from Lincoln's own words, the poetry of Walt Whitman, passages from the Bible, and letters from the Civil War--so much so that both singers and instrumentalists regretted only getting to hear it all put together twice (at the dress rehearsal and at the world premiere). Unlike some modern music that either leaves listeners cold or superficially manipulates their emotions, this opera engages and moves you on a deeper level the way music is supposed to."