Memorial to Martin Luther King
Memorial to Martin Luther King, a "lament" for solo cello and
orchestra by Oskar Morawetz, was received with enthusiasm by audiences at Avery
Fisher Hall in New York on January 7, 8, 9 and 12. Yo-Yo Ma was the soloist for
this passionate and moving tribute to the murdered civil rights leader, and the
New York Philharmonic was under the leadership of Music Director Kurt Masur. The
year 1993 marks the 25th anniversary of King's death.
Composer in 1968 at the request of Mistislav Rostropovich, the work was
actually premiered by Zara Nelsova with Otto Werner Mueller conducting members
of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. It has been performed in the USA, Canada and
Europe over 40 times and is now in the repertoire of 17 renowned cellists.
In Memorial, Morawetz achieves a sharp contrast between the solo
instrument and the larger ensemble by eliminating all string instruments and
instead utilizing only winds, brass, percussion and keyboard. Near the end of
the piece there is a funeral march based on the tune of the now famous spiritual
Free at Last.
The composer was called repeatedly to the stage by an appreciative American
audience, and a reception in his honour was hosted by the Canadian Consulate
General after the first-night. Immediately following the New York concerts Mr.
Ma again played the work, this time with the Toronto Symphony conducted by Hugh
Wolff on January 13-15. These were succeeded by another three performances at
the end of the month by the Colorado Symphony with cellist Shauna Rolston.
