Inspired by Walt Whitman’s When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.
Walt Whitman wrote his long poem When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d out of sadness and anger over the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln on April 14 1865, in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Many contemporary composers, including Jennifer Higdon (pictured above), Karl Amadeus Hartmann and George Crumb, have been inspired by Whitman’s poem.
Playlist:
- Jennifer Higdon – Dooryard Bloom (Atlanta SO conducted by Robert Spano, Nmon Ford, baritone)
- Karl Amadeus Hartmann – Symphony No.1 ‘Versuch eines Requiems’ (Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Markus Stenz, Kismara Pessati, alto)
- George Crumb – Apparition (Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano, Gilbert Kalish, piano)
