While there is not one universally spoken language, music is one way all cultures and countries can find a way to communicate.

Mark Junglen's lifelong interest in history not only earned him a master's degree in history from OU in 2006,it also inspired him to compose a symphony.

"I've always read, and I love history, especially World War II with the Russian aspect," Junglen said.

Junglen said he was impressed with the history department while he studied at OU, especially the courses taught in Russian history.

"History department is unbelievable, it's one of the best in Russian history," Junglen said.

Junglen's symphony, "Stalingrad," combines classical and rock music with historical documentary film. Stalingrad was a battle that took place during World War II between the Germans and the then-Soviet Union. This battle is considered one of the bloodiest of the war and had high casualties for both sides. The Soviets' victory over the Germans marked a turning point in the war, which later led to the Allied victory.

"As a musician I was inspired by the depth of emotions which I could attempt to translate into the sounds of musical instruments," Junglen said. "As a historian I was interested in describing mentality and actions."

Junglen said the performance of his piece was scheduled for sometime this month in Russia but kept being delayed due to documents not getting processed. He said the concert will happen sometime this summer.

During March of 2005, OU sent Junglen to Russia as part of his master's research. While studying in Russia, Junglen met famous Russian musician Alexei Zubarev who expressed interest in Junglen's symphony.

"Alexei Zubarev will be performing my piece at the concert," said Junglen. "When it happens the concert will be awesome."

Junglen's symphony consists of four movements, all meant to evoke emotions about the battle. The third movement contains audible dive-bombers and artillery and machine guns. The fourth and final movement represents the end of the battle.

"The final movement of the concerto 'Stalingrad' is a cleansing. It brings closure," Junglen said. "It makes note of what Stalingrad should represent. Not the linear solitude of victory, but closure in the meaning of the struggle."

Junglen wrote the symphony in 1993 after attending a classical music performance with a friend. Junglen said while listening to different classical pieces he imagined the idea of combining the music with artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Machine Gun.

"Later that evening, as I lay in bed reading correspondences of soldiers fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad, a theme came to join the musical styles," Junglen said. "I composed to weave guitars and a drum kit into the tapestry of symphonic tradition, to achieve the emotion of the words upon the page I had read. I composed to narrate history."

Junglen said he had not been trained to read or write music, but still composed the symphony in three weeks using a Macintosh computer system and then delivered it to the Startsong Studio in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he was living at the time.

"I was driven, I had to do it. I was so inspired by the battle," Junglen said.

In 1995 Junglen sent his symphony to the Russian conductor Edward Serov, who then invited Junglen and his band to perform in Russia with the symphony orchestra to perform "Stalingrad."

Junglen said history and symphony are connected in the way they both tell a story.

"A symphony is a history story," Junglen said. "That's what symphonic traditions have always been."

Melissa K. Stockdale, associate professor of history, teaches Russian history at OU and has listened to Junglen's symphony and said the symphony's inspiration from the Stalingrad battle is important to history.

"I believe Mark's appreciation, as an American, of the significance and suffering of Stalingrad contributed very much to how warmly the symphony was received," Stockdale said in an e-mail. "Mark's composition may very well be the only rock symphony dedicated to any aspect of that terrible experience."

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