American Landscapes
Music by Stanley Grill, Dance by Mariko Endo, Film by Michael Sinicropi
For many years, I had wanted to write music for dance, but somehow the opportunity never arose. After connecting with Artists 4 Peace, I first saw Mariko Endo’s beautiful, peaceful work – and immediately reached out – and was thrilled that she agreed to work with me on this project. As with most of the music I write, my underlying intent is to encourage thoughts about peace in the hearts and minds of those who listen. American Landscapes envisions an America that exists only in my imagination – one where our country’s great promises are fulfilled, not neglected. Mariko’s choreography and dancing was a perfect match for my intent, especially as we filmed in the midst of a pandemic. Dreaming of better in the midst of adversity.
About the Artists
Stanley Grill is a classical composer whose passion for medieval and Renaissance music has greatly influenced his writing. Two main themes permeate many of his works – music composed in an attempt to translate something about the nature of the physical world, and music composed to inspire and promote world peace.
Coming of age in the '60s, I absorbed in my core a belief that peace was possible. In that small instant of time, it did seem, for sure to an optimistic and naïve teenager, that the millions of voices protesting in the streets, energized by rock and roll, could make a difference. The young would take over from the old and make the world a better place. Of course, it didn't turn out that way - and it never has. Revolutionaries become what they seek to replace. Despite the discouraging tone of these words, I still harbor an inner faith that music possesses a power to reach into the hearts and minds of those who are listening and influence them for the better. With that thought in mind, much of my music was written to encourage thoughts about the possibility of peace. Yes, much martial music has been composed over the centuries to stir up the passions of soldiers to go to war - but music also has the power to elevate, to bring peace to troubled spirits, to light the path to an inner space that is free of anger and strife.
Early in the first decade of her career as a Dancer, Mariko Endo concurrently studied Butoh under Akira Kasai, one of the co-founders of the Butoh movement. More recently, as a Dancer and choreographer, Ms. Endo has collaborated with international composers and visual artists to produce multimedia performance. "Metal Song" composed by Dary John Mizelle (2016), at the garden of the American Museum of Natural History. "Ggantija" composed by Mariella C. Cordina (2016) at Symphony Space. “Adoration of The Divine Mother” (2018), composed by Joel Thome, a canto from SAVITRI TRAVELER OF THE WORLDS (Pulitzer Prize Nomination) at Theater for the New City. "Heavy Water" (2018) choreographed by Gloria McLean at Ailey Citigroup Theater. In 2019, both of them toured to Japan, performing an expanded version of Heavy Water in Tokyo Daigo Fukuryū Maru Memorial Peace Park.