The People United Will Never Be Defeated

The People United Will Never be Defeated

Earlier this month I listened to the journalist Dorothy Byrne interviewed on Desert Island Discs. She described the overwhelming experience of hearing Frederic Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated for the first time, and as the continuing chilling events have unfolded worldwide, this piece has remained in the back of my mind. The evocative main theme, a Chilean revolutionary song, has become a personal anthem of resistance to the pandemic, a rallying tune to whistle during the long days of isolation. Continue reading The People United Will Never Be Defeated

Truth in Music: Galina Ustvolskaya – Piano Sonatas

We’ve recently acquired a truly fantastic collection of CDs here are at Hillside Harmonies. There is nothing mundane; very little ordinary Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven, for example; and plenty of composers that we’ve rarely (or never) encountered, which is quite something considering the amount of music that we’ve collectively heard.

Galina Ustvolskaya's Piano Sonatas on Col Legno CD from 2012
Galina Ustvolskaya’s Piano Sonatas on Col Legno CD from 2012

We like to learn as we listen, so first on the listening pile was a CD of piano sonatas by the Soviet composer Galina Ustvolskaya. Continue reading Truth in Music: Galina Ustvolskaya – Piano Sonatas