
Open Source with Christopher Lydon
Time’s Echo
Nov 22, 2023
Jeremy Eichler, expert on the role of music in preserving history and memory, discusses the power of music as a memorial. He explores the significance of Badda Yar in Kyiv, the hidden messages in Shostakovich's music, the meaning of 'build dung' in German culture, and the artistic friendship between Benjamin Britain and Shostakovich. Eichler emphasizes the connection between music and memory as a way to understand cultural and social history.
51:09
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Quick takeaways
- Music serves as a last refuge of history, carrying forward the memory of atrocities and serving as a witness to the darkest secrets of humanity.
- Musical works like Shostakovich's 13th symphony and Britten's War Requiem evoke empathy for the suffering of the past, challenging the objective distance of history and providing a unique form of contact with the past.
Deep dives
Music as a Last Refuge of History
Music becomes the code of our darkest secrets and serves as a last refuge of history that cannot be erased. The composer Dmitry Shostakovich defied the authorities and created a memorial in his 13th symphony for the Babi Yar massacre in Kyiv during World War II.
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