This piece uses music as background almost all the way through, but its use feels nonetheless very sparing; I was pleased that it never distracts the listener from the deep, textured voice of the speaker. The piece is of a perfect length-- the producer manages to bring us back to the heart of the fifties racial tensions in a matter of 2 short minutes-- and the final twist in the narration is haunting but very satisfying in a way that unsaccharine endings are.
This would be a good piece to play on any show on desegregation, and on Valentine's day, to illuminate the topic from a very different angle.
Highly recommended. (I might add that although I chose "raw" as one of the adjectives, I am referring to the ambiance of the piece and not the sound quality, which is very professional.)
Review of The Valentine 1955
Laura Wiens
Posted on February 27, 2005 at 12:08 PM
This piece uses music as background almost all the way through, but its use feels nonetheless very sparing; I was pleased that it never distracts the listener from the deep, textured voice of the speaker. The piece is of a perfect length-- the producer manages to bring us back to the heart of the fifties racial tensions in a matter of 2 short minutes-- and the final twist in the narration is haunting but very satisfying in a way that unsaccharine endings are.
This would be a good piece to play on any show on desegregation, and on Valentine's day, to illuminate the topic from a very different angle.
Highly recommended. (I might add that although I chose "raw" as one of the adjectives, I am referring to the ambiance of the piece and not the sound quality, which is very professional.)