Song of the Poets for Choir and Orchestra
This new piece by Canadian composer Abigal Richardson-Schulte was commissioned by the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Thunder Bay Symphony and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra for the international WWI commemoration project The World Remembers. Song of the Poets is a six minute work for choir and orchestra based on excerpts from five poems written by soldiers of First World War – Canadian John McCrae, English poet Wilfred Owen, French poets Louis Aragon and Luc Durtain and German poet Gerrit Engelke.
The composer says
These are not graphic poems of fighting, nor are they propaganda to gain support for the war effort. Each of these poems looks at the outcome of war, told with the perspective of poets able to see beyond their own circumstances. The music is simple and narrative in order to best impart the text. Each section has its own distinct musical themes however there are similarities to link each section together to form a unified piece, despite the language and perspective differences of five different voices. We seamlessly follow their stories through place and time.
More information: http://www.musiccentre.ca/node/123356
Composer’s website http://abigailrichardson.com/
Information supplied by Penelope Monkhouse
EA Projects and Contributions
British Poetry of the First World War, Wadham College, Oxford, 5-7 September, 2014
To mark the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War, the English Association hosted a major international conference, British Poetry of the First World War, in Oxford in September 2014. The conference Patron was Professor Jon Stallworthy (University of Oxford) and the Convenor was Professor Tim Kendall (University of Exeter).
Keynote speakers were Professor Edna Longley (Queen’s University, Belfast) and Professor Jay Winter (Yale University). Events included lectures, readings, a recital presented by the composer Ian Venables, with baritone Roderick Williams accompanied by pianist Gary Matthewman, exhibitions, a book launch and Conference Dinner.
Societies, associations and fellowships concerned with poetry and poets of the Great War were invited to participate in this conference, including having the opportunity for stands to promote their activities and publications. Providing a forum for these groups, who do so much to sustain interest in war poetry and to further understanding of its contexts, was a key aim of the conference. http://englishassociation.ac.uk/conference/exhibitors/
Visit the conference website: http://englishassociation.ac.uk/conference/
