Voices of Change “Protest: From Martin Luther to Bob Dylan”

Protest comes in many forms, from politics to religion, and from human dignity to freedom of expression. The Chamber Chorus’s second concert of the season “Voices of Change” includes two versions of the original ‘hymn of the Reformation’ – Luther’s “Ein’ Feste Burg” –arranged first by Johann Walther and then as an elaborate double-choir motet, by Samuel Scheidt.

Political changes are urged on the German idealist, Hanns Eisler, and Melissa Dunphy’s extraordinary setting of testimony given in support of the Equal Marriage Act – “What Do You Think I Fought For At Omaha Beach?” A thirst for independence inspired the anti-British hymns by William Billings, a significant figure in the American revolution, while Robert Schumann wrote several rallying cries for the Prussian upheavals of 1848.

Then, the Russian composer, Dmitri Shostakovich, set a series of revolutionary verses which are a rare example of his writing for choir. Finally, two hymns of the Civil Rights Era by Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger find new expression in arrangements by Orin Johnson made for this concert.