Orf Comes to Washington to Bear Witness

Orf (from the legend of Orpheus) pays visit to Washington where he carries out a spectacular vigil to bear witness in extraordinary times of crisis. Orf is a poet-troubadour who resides in the shadowy depths of the Other World. In his visit to Washington, he sings negro spirituals in juxtaposition to his movement through the iconic environment of the Nation's Capital. In this excerpt, Orf engages the speed and power of the aircraft, a weapon of mass destruction in the 21st century, singing: ?swing low, sweet chariot coming for to carry me home,? evoking the extremist allure of the afterlife.