April 16th witnessed a sold-out Symphony Hall audience that had gathered in eager anticipation of the arrival on-stage of acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns, who had come to town to preview his latest, 10-years-in-the-making opus: The American Revolution. Sharing the stage with Burns was Chad Smith, BSO President and CEO, Susan Goldberg, President and CEO of Boston’s WGBH, a bevy of instrumentalists whose music graces the new film’s soundtrack, and a group of guest speakers: three distinguished History professors from Harvard, and Sarah Botstein, Burns’s co-Director and Producer.
That this would be an evening of adroitly presented high-minded ideas was evident from the start, and the audience, clearly of one mind in its appreciation of what was in the offing, sat in rapt attention and wasn’t shy about showing its enthusiasm for what it saw and heard.
In his opening remarks, BSO CEO Smith pointed out the long story of Symphony Hall as a gathering place for learned discourse, and he reminded us that it was on October 6, 1951 when the first broadcast of a live BSO performance was aired by a then-new WGBH. Susan Goldberg then followed up with appropriate commentary, reminding that it was PBS, in particular WGBH in Boston, that had partnered with Burns for many years as the main disseminator of his filmic oeuvre to the watching (and listening) public. She also offered the first of several reminders of the evening how appropriate it was to be commemorating the American Revolution in today’s times where many of the challenges that faced the formation of a new nation in the 1700s were once again being faced in today’s fraught political environment. All in the hall recognized that Goldberg’s parent organization, PBS, is in the crosshairs of the Trump regime, and zealously interrupted her cautionary admonitions with cheers and applause.
Tumultuous acclaim greeted the appearance of Ken Burns, who thanked the BSO and WGBH for their support. He continued to explain that the evening’s offerings would be a several-part preview of his new opus, some of which were still undergoing final editing and polishing. He also spoke of the importance of music in his filmmaking, reminding of the soundtrack of his landmark documentary The Civil War, in which a solo violin tune titled Ashokan Farewell audibly helped bind the episodes together. He then introduced a group of musicians who played a suite of melodies and tunes, beginning with James Scott Skinner’s Hector the Hero in a pleasing arrangement by Dana Lyn, whose skillful handiwork also adorns several of the other musical works featured in the film. Surprisingly, Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Les Sauvages arranged by Justin Messina followed, which “on-paper” seemed an odd musical choice, but what I heard was surprisingly apropos. Afro-Cuban rhythms followed, enthusiastically essayed by percussionists Michael Ringquist, Marcus Santos, and Mathias Kunzli. Things wrapped up with another Lyn arrangement of two traditional tunes: Barravento and O’er the Water to Charlie, a traditional jig whose original text was penned by that other Burns — Robert.
Excerpts from the new film were then screened. Even if not yet in final form, all were pithy in content and attractive to the eye, both hallmarks of Ken Burns’s accustomed style.
A lively and intriguing panel discussion ensued after the film excerpts with Burns, Botstein, and Goldberg joined by Harvard Professors Vincent Brown, Maya Jasanoff, and Philip Deloria. Much ground was covered in a learned and eloquent session that reflected on the film’s content and particularly on the present-day relevance of the history it recalled.
Burns then closed the evening’s presentations by introducing a talented ensemble of musicians which included the renowned Rhiannon Giddens who pleasingly plucked a fretless banjo and sang soulfully. She was joined by acclaimed fiddle player Johnny Gandelsman, then Megumi Stohs Lewis, violin; Celia Hatton, viola; Mike Block, ‘cello; Zachariah Hickman, double-bass; Kyle Sanna, guitar; plus the three aforementioned percussionists, for a postlude that began inward-looking, and then moved to a lively mid-portion, all centered on several folk melodies including Hector The Hero reprised, MacRae’s Dèan Cadalan Sàmhach, traditional tunes Pompey Ran Away, Pipi Danga, Bully for You and Hard Times. But the best was saved for last. All joined together in a soulful and moving exposition of another Dana Lyn arrangement, this time of the soulful and chastening Lament for Limerick.
It had been an enjoyable, uplifting, and inspiring evening on many levels. Amid the ensuing heartfelt applause, someone cried out “GO, HARVARD!” which spurred cheers and even more fervent acclaim, surely responding to the unprecedented threats presently being hurled at that noble institution’s independence.
The first episodes of Ken Burns’s The American Revolution premiere Sunday, November 16th on WGBH and PBS.