Northwest Symphony concert to honor veterans
The grandson and great-grandson of former President Harry S. Truman headline the Northwest Symphony's season opener on Sunday.
Clifton Truman Daniel, and his son, Wesley Truman Daniel will serve as narrators for the Veterans Day concert at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Maine West High School in Des Plaines.
Organizers concede they have planned an ambitious program. They are mounting a major work by composer Michael Karasis, called "Government Issue: An Oratorio for Orchestra, Chorus and Narrator."
It weaves together a dramatic score, with haunting narratives that are based on real diaries recorded by GIs during World War II. Members of the Park Ridge Chorale, directed by Edward Zelnis, sing the chorus parts.
Clifton Truman Daniel, who serves as the public relations director for Truman College, will take the role of the narrator, while his son, assumes the part of the soldier. "How much more perfect could it be, to land them," said Diane Macewicz of Arlington Heights, president of the symphony.
Paul Vermel, conducts the 65 members of the Northwest Symphony, who come from all walks of life and from 45 communities to form the orchestra. He calls the work "a fitting tribute" on Veteran's Day, and one of Karasis' best works.
"It's very dramatic, and at times very melodic," Vermel said. "There's lots of variations and color, with big brass sections highlighting its tunes and rhythms."
He notes that "Government Issue" debuted in 2002 in Chicago, by the Orchestra of St. Vincent, of which Karasis is the composer in residence, before being performed at the Chicago Historical Society, with former Sen. Paul Simon narrating.
Karasis lives in Woodstock and also plays violin with the Harper Symphony Orchestra and the Fox Valley Symphony.
In all, his oratorio takes listeners through 10 passages designed to capture the American experience during World War II. They range from the bread lines during the late Depression, and Pearl Harbor, through the home front and war production, to a GI's eulogy on the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Carolyn Paulin, a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and a staff member of Chicago's classical music station, WFMT, will give a preconcert commentary in the auditorium, beginning at 2:30 p.m.
She likens the oratorio format to an opera that's not staged.
"It tells a story," Paulin says, "and celebrates the people who gave their lives, or participated, in World War II."
Already, area veteran's groups have responded positively to advance ticket sales, but with 800 seats, symphony officials feel confident that seats will be available at the door.
If you go
What: Northwest Symphony's Veteran's Day concert
When: 3:30 p.m. Sunday concert, with a preconcert commentary by Carolyn Paulin of Chicago's WFMT radio, beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Where: Maine West High School auditorium, 1755 S. Wolf Road in Des Plaines
Cost: $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students
More information: www.northwestsymphony.org