Lumpen Special • 05-22-26 • Poetry Despite, Music Despite

POETRY DESPITE, MUSIC DESPITE (ETERNAL WAR REQUIEM)

 This Memorial Day weekend as we reflect on our current state of endless war, Aaron Hughes presents a special radio production of Poetry Despite/Music Despite (Eternal War Requiem), an audio visual project that connects artists across time and place, from World War I to the “Global War on Terror,” from the U.S. to Iraq. These connections acknowledge the recurring traumas of war and, conversely, the human connections that happen despite the pain. The presentation features improvised cello by maestro Karim Wasfi, hip-hop by The Syrian Kings, and poetry by Dunya Mikhail, Carlos Sirah, Kevin Basl, and Aaron Hughes. This new composition includes an original sound design by Nate Sandberg directed by Aaron Hughes and samples from Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, performed at Coventry Cathedral on May 30, 1962.