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The Words of Albert Schweitzer
and the Music of Bach
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presented free of charge in
celebration of our 20th anniversary
September 26, 2004
Animals and
the Arts 2004
When the house lights dimmed at Christ & St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Norfolk
at 8:00 p.m. on
the 26th of September, the audience was swept away by a magnificent production
authored by Thurston Moore of the Tennessee Players. The
multimedia presentation -- with actors, organists, and stunning visuals -- took
us on a journey through the life and times of one of the world's truly great
humanitarians, Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Our actors were Bob Burchette, Bill
Jones, and Kathy Strouse. Our organists were Henry Faivre, Jim Kosnik,
Allen Shaffer, Jim Derr, Bryan Mitnaul, and Tom Marshall.
“Words of Albert Schweitzer and the Music of Bach”
is an intricate blend of Schweitzer’s powerful words, images from his life, and
the magnificent organ music of his beloved Bach. Schweitzer once commented,
“Bach is the greatest among the great. Who has been moved by him understands
the truth of art. His music is a phenomenon of the incomprehensibly real, a
mirror of the world. Each fugue is a whole universe. His work is truth.”
Those who have studied the life and philosophy of Dr. Schweitzer would argue
that his description of Bach fits him, as well.
In this production, Bach’s glorious organ music is accompanied by more than 200
video images projected onto a 20' screen highlighting Schweitzer’s life and those who influenced him and by
whom he was influenced. Interspersed with the music and images are actors who
present Dr. Schweitzer’s words and ideals. Complementing his humanitarian
ideals, a deep love of music was infused in Schweitzer. An accomplished
organist, he penned a biography of Bach which is widely referenced today, and
performed hundreds of recitals throughout Europe. By the time he turned 30,
Schweitzer had already attained his doctorate in philosophy and theology, and
was a church pastor and university professor in addition to his skills on the
organ. Despite these accomplishments, Dr. Schweitzer made the decision to leave
his comfortable world behind to become a physician and travel to Africa to open
a desperately needed hospital. He and his wife traveled to Lambarene, Gabon – a
province of French Equatorial Africa. Two years later, he would immortalize the
phrase that came to define his world philosophy: “Reverence for Life”.
Schweitzer, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Price in 1952, wrote, “The
awareness that we are all human beings together has become lost in war and
politics.” His words ring crystal clear more than 50 years later.
The decision to sponsor this production came naturally for
Tidewater Humane, Inc., says founder and executive director Connie Faivre. “The
words of Dr. Schweitzer have helped guide my path since the early 1980’s when I
began working on animal welfare issues. One of the greatest influences on my
decision to dedicate my life to helping animals was a statement I read from Dr.
Schweitzer’s Nobel Peace Prize address:
The human spirit is not dead. It
lives on in secret…It has come to believe that compassion, in which all ethics
must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all
living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind.
When I learned about this production, I quickly contacted
author Thurston Moore for more information. Our board was enthusiastic, and we
are thrilled to be the first humane society in the United States to present this
important work."
We were honored to have Mr. Moore with us for our production!
This production will be presented in July, 2005 at the
Washington National Cathedral. Visit
www.tennesseeplayers.org for more
information.
For More Information Contact:
Tidewater Humane, Inc.
4604 Pembroke Lake Circle, Suite 104; Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Tel: 757-497-7729
FAX: 757-671-2122
Internet:
cfaivre.tidewaterhumane@verizon.net
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