Composer: Fairouz, Mohammed

Symphony No. 4, "In the Shadow of No Towers"

University of Kansas Wind Ensemble

Conductor: Popiel, Paul

Year of Production: March 2013

Playing Time: 00:12:58

Catalogue Number: NVF0118

Fairouz's inspiration for his Fourth Symphony was a comic book by Art Spiegelman that bears the same title. Spiegelman began it shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, capturing our horror and varied reactions to the tragedy with provocative images and statements. The artist has found himself "moved by the scary, somber and seriously silly symphony" that Fairouz composed, noting that they are different types of artists
but "equally obsessed with structure." Fairouz had been interested in writing a piece based on Spiegelman's book for several years, but hesitated to approach it because of the work's inevitably divisive nature. Each movement is a faithful rendering of excerpts from Spiegelman and, as will be shown, Fairouz does not shrink from controversy.

Spiegelman's panels that inspired the symphony may be
viewed at Fairouz's website: mohammedfairouz.com/inthe-shadow-of-no-towers