What a miracle we’re all here!

From Anthony Brandt, composer of Maternity:

Last week, I went to Sir Ken Robinson’s lecture for the Progressive Forum on creativity and education.  Sir Ken started by saying what a miracle it is each of us is alive: if we trace our lineage back even a few generations, the chances of our being born seem more and more improbable. 

 

That’s the story told by David Eagleman’s libretto for “Maternity;” It traces back a maternal line, from mother, to grand-mother to great-great-grandmother, skipping generations, eventually going back millions of years to the very first mother.  It’s a story that music rarely gets to tell: a narrative stretching over a vast expanses of time. 

 

My goal in setting the libretto is to celebrate our place in that “long line of inheritance.”  I’ll tell you more about the creation of “Maternity” in upcoming posts.

Hear the world premiere of Maternity on Saturday, April 21, at The Church of St. John the Divine. Anthony Brandt and David Eagleman will present a Pre-Concert Composer Talk at 4 p.m. The concert begins at 5. Learn more and buy tickets.