“It is the eternal struggle between two principles—right and wrong—throughout the world… .” —Abraham Lincoln

The Eternal Struggle is a stirring glimpse into what it was like living—and governing—during the Civil War, one of America’s most trying periods. Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and a brief vignette reflecting on the Civil Rights movement, are all explored through this poignant blend of Lincoln’s famous words, hundreds of historical photographs, and Copland’s momentous Lincoln Portrait.

Orchestras can also program an optional short prelude titled Before the Storm, choreographed to Interlude No. 1 from the CIVIL warS by Philip Glass. It depicts lives and surroundings of everyday people divided by geography, ideology and color shortly before the Civil War.