Wednesday, November 5, 2025 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm CST
On September 2, 1945, Japan’s formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri brought an official end to World War II. Eighty years later, Guarneri Hall commemorates this historic moment with 1945: At War’s End, a two-day festival that invites us to reflect on the lives of composers and musicians affected by the deadliest armed conflict in human history.
The programs feature musical works composed between 1944 and 1946 along with one contemporary work. In the course of two concerts, we’ll explore their embedded themes of resilience, identity, despair, and hope.
Remembrance concludes our series with a pair of deeply reflective works by Dmitri Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten, both of whom were profoundly impacted by the war’s devastation and the liberation of the death camps in 1945. In different ways, they explore themes of death, grief, and despair that were fresh in the minds and hearts of these composers, although both would later compose works explicitly addressing the war. A contemporary work by Nagasaki native Michiru Ōshima begins the musical portion of the evening.
The program opens with remarks from Rocky Kolb, the Arthur Holly Compton Distinguished Service Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago.
Program
Michiru Ōshima (b. 1961): Memories
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975): Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 67
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): String Quartet No. 2, Op. 36
Artists: Terra String Quartet (Harriet Langley, violin; Amelia Dietrich, violin; Chih-Ta Chen, viola; Audrey Chen, cello); Brian Hong, violin; Alexander Hersh, cello; Daniel Pesca, piano
Guest Speaker: Rocky Kolb
Read articles on our website related to the 1945: At War’s End series here and here.
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