Remembrances by Bacewicz, Vaughan Williams, Lau, K., Beethoven, From (2023/2023), Conductor Martin MacDonald, Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, Toronto, Canada

The orchestra recognizes Remembrance Day with powerful composers and inspiration. Grayzna Bacewicz was concertmaster of the Polish Radio Orchestra before the start of WWII and an important composer who continued to give concerts in secret throughout the war, with her Overture (1943) written under occupation. Ralph Vaughan Williams was one of England’s greatest composers who continued to compose throughout both world wars. Canadian composer Kevin Lau was commissioned in 2014 to write a work commemorating the beginning of World War I, a work of gratitude through music to salute a generation of brave Canadians who gave their lives in service of their country. Often considered the birth of Romanticism, Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony is the composer’s musical answer against tyranny and oppression. The music is filled with tremendous struggle as it celebrates the heroism in each of us, and concludes with ultimate transcendence.