postlude

Carpeaux’s bust is a postlude to slavery in France, more of a congratulatory patriotic exercise than a direct appeal to the conscience.

It’s in five movements, with a little postlude, and each movement explores one of the classical Indian elements — the five elements that are used in Ayurveda medicine, for example: space, air, fire, water and earth.

Terror turns to mere sadness as a muted ensemble of bassoon and three contrabass clarinets — a feature of Eastman’s idiosyncratic, extravagant orchestration — offers a stunned postlude.

I know this because Sting once put his hand supportively on my back while I practiced the postlude of Schumann’s song cycle “Dichterliebe,” and I haven’t washed that shirt since.

And I’m really proud of the orchestral moments: The Act I postlude is one of the most beautiful things Bernstein ever wrote.