'Apokatastasis'

Throughout history, structure and meaning in the arts have been entwined in an interdependent relationship, each creating, defining and informing the other. The expressive power of this binding relationship is uniquely striking in music. In this talk, Dr. Jon Forshee discusses a special case of such musical meaning, excavated at the intersections of music and literature.

Notably, structures of ancient Jewish apocalyptic texts will be examined in light of traditional musical forms, and a proposal on the ways in which such structures may meaningfully inform modern composition will be proffered. The themes of this talk are discussed against the backdrop of historical masterworks from 1300 CE to the present, and are summarized in relation to Forshee’s new electro-acoustic composition, Apokatastasis, which will have its world streaming premiere as part of this talk.