As we witness, in real-time, the most significant armed conflict in Europe since World War 2, I ask the question: What is the role of art, of music, of poetry under these devastating circumstances?
Right now, the suffering of ordinary people, women, children, fathers, brothers, is on our screens 24/7 and getting worse. We have seen it before, and recently, in Syria, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Sudan, Eritrea, the West Bank. I ask myself again, what, against such tragedy, is our role as curators, as broadcasters.
This segment of A Celtic Sojourn is simply a meditation, a collection of thoughts, of music and songs and poetry. The theme is War and Peace and, above all, Empathy. The impact of war is personal. Its impact is always on the individual, on the family, on the community. This human devastation is what World War One poet Wilfred Owen described as the pity of war, the pity war distilled.
I also include here the segment from last week's program tracing some of the fascinating and inspiring history of the Cellist of Sarajevo, Vedran Smailovich, and an exploration of the inspiration for Pete Seeger's Where Have All the Flowers Gone. Listen to that segment below.
A Playlist of Musical Pieces Used:
Please remember to support the artists by visiting their web sites, buying music, merch or attending concerts when they perform in your area. Live Music: It's Where It's At!
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One recording, the ending track in the piece, is not on Spotify. It is by Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, is called Ah, Sweet Dancer, and from his album Oilean, on Venture Records. It can be found on Apple Music here.
