Chapter II — Martial & Moral

Can music capture both the glory nations attach to conflict and the human cost hidden beneath it?Martial & Moral, the second chapter ofThe Long Road: Music in Search of Peace, explores that tension across nearly two centuries. Vaughan Williams' belovedFantasia on Greensleevesbegins in a world of pastoral beauty—though the centuries-old English melody itself once served as a military march. Violinist Kinga Augustyn then unleashes the virtuosity and martial character of Karol Lipiński’s rarely heardViolin Concerto No. 2 "Militaire."The mood turns deeply personal in John Williams'Three Themes from Schindler's List, whose haunting melodies have become an enduring musical expression of memory, loss, and humanity. Then Beethoven's magnificentSymphony No. 7takes over—propulsive, defiant, exuberant, and relentlessly alive. The symphony premiered in wartime Vienna in 1813 at a benefit concert alongside Beethoven's Wellington's Victory, celebrating Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Vitoria. This concert travels from tranquility through military spectacle and remembrance to one of the most electrifying affirmations of life in the symphonic repertoire.PROGRAMRalph Vaughan Williams — Fantasia on GreensleevesKarol Lipiński — Violin Concerto No. 2 in D major, Op. 21 “Militaire”John Williams — Three Themes from Schindler’s ListLudwig van Beethoven — Symphony No. 7Kinga Augustyn, violinDaniel W. Boothe, conductor