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A Tale of Peace and Conflict
For Pierrot + Percussion and Soprano (2020)
Program Note:
The text for “A Tale of Peace and Conflict” originates from Einstein’s personal quotes and excerpts from Szilard’s letter to Franklin Roosevelt, in combination with my own writing. The story for this six-movement work takes place during The Great Depression/World War II Era, during which physicist Albert Einstein plays an important key role. Einstein, in addition to being widely considered as one of the greatest scientists of all time, was also a well-known activist for peace and pacifism.
In 1939, fellow physicist Leo Szilard informed Einstein of the potential to use the formula to create bombs of unprecedented power, after which Einstein exclaimed, “daran habe ich gar nicht gedacht – I hadn’t thought of that!” Afraid that Nazi Germany would realize and develop these weapons of mass destruction first, Einstein felt he was forced in his decision, alongside Szilard, to quickly send a letter of warning to President Franklin Roosevelt. This letter lead to the development of The Manhattan Project, which eventually led to us dropping the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Later learning the Germans never had any idea of the possibility of these weapons, Einstein later writes this entire ordeal as his greatest regret.
Performances:
May 15, 2021: National Sawdust Ensemble, National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY
November 9, 2020: Recorded by students of The Juilliard School, Michiko Studios in New York, NY