Eric Holtan’s Thematic Playlists

Spring to Life

March 19, 2021

Eric concludes his winter Playlist series with a program that celebrates the official arrival of spring with its promise of renewal, anchored by the “Spring” portion of Haydn’s The Seasons. Other works include Grieg’s hauntingly beautiful “Spring,” part songs by Mendelssohn about springtime, and Norman Dello Joio’s exhilarating A Jubilant Song based on texts from Walt Whitman’s A Song of Joys.

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First of all, I hope you and your loved ones have been safe. While sheltering at home and social distancing, music can provide comfort, companionship and a momentary escape from the worries of life and for the world…and boredom and isolation.

In this health crisis, we have kept our distance from, and for the sake of, one another. Unfortunately, for much of 2020 and 2021, it meant the suspension of many live performances and the collective experiences with music’s power to bring hearts together. My hope is that this Playlist series has filled some part of that void, and reminded us that we remain connected through music’s universal language, whether we may be miles, or just six feet, apart.

My Playlists are designed to be like concerts, of about an hour in length. Each is organized by a theme. Much like True Concord concerts, these Playlists are derived from a range of outstanding choral music, from the great masterworks to works by the top composers of our time, with particular focus on America’s rich choral tradition. And always rendered by the best possible recordings available on Spotify…or at least those that speak to me.

If music be the food of love, play on.

– Eric Holtan, Founding Music Director of True Concord Voices & Orchestra

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