Video: Journey That Makes a Difference
“We live in times of challenge and change, and as it has througout its history, Middlebury is seizing the opportunity, anticipating the future. To educate active, curious, engaged, global citizens. After more than 200 years, a journey that makes a difference.” Cue swell music and cut to sunset image. Leaf logo and…we’re out.
A cross between NPR and the Discovery Channel?
MiddBlog wants to know: What does this say about Middlebury College?
The classical music at the beginning is excruciatingly pompous. Not that we aren’t a pretentious liberal arts college, but we don’t need to revel in it quite so much.
I can identify two of the three pieces of music.
First, and I imagine the part C calls pompous, is Beethoven. It is his “Pastoral” symphony and seems to fit Middlebury’s remarkable physical setting and academic mission about as well as any music a lover of music can imagine. It exudes “outdoors” and Middlebury conveys the same. Can’t see any pomposity there, especially since it was written by the greatest composer of all time.
The second piece is hard to identify, and I can’t. Maybe the music buffs out there can. It is the part where Bill McKibben speaks.
The final piece, which I assume is not pompous, is from The Planets, by Holst. A beautiful movement.
Would love to know more why this music says Middlebury is pompous, and more than that — “excruciatingly” pompous.
To me, it says, the next “X” minutes are about the openness and expansiveness of Middlebury — figuratively in that it is in a most beautiful and pastoral setting, and metaphorically in that the liberal arts curriculum is intended to open one’s mind and expand one’s understanding of our complex world.
Maybe I am reading more into this than was intended, but I have to say that I have never heard Beethoven’s Sixth (The Pastoral) ever described as pompous!
Nearly three times in length, this video was created for the College’s bicentennial a decade ago:
http://muskrat.middlebury.edu:8080/ramgen/smedia/distribution/archives_witt/ThePursuitofTruth.rm
While much of ‘The Pursuit of Truth’ focuses on the College’s history, the narrative leads more smoothly to the latest development (at that time): the five residential Commons.
It says Middlebury makes me want to barf. God if that were any more sugar coated all my teeth would’ve fallen out.