Just out on CD, a haunting oratorio, Querela pacis by Slovak composer Vladimír Godár. Rob Cowan of BBC Radio 3 has said of his music "it's as if Monteverdi, Janácek and Górecki have settled on a universal language," and his ECM Records release "Mater" gained him countless admirers worldwide.
The new oratorio (subtitled 'The Complaint of Peace'), scored for soloists, SATB choir and chamber orchestra, explores pacifist themes and sets several Psalms, extracts from the Requiem Mass, and some philosophical writings together with poetry by Tennyson and Longfellow. For audio clips click below:
1. Preludio - Mantra
2. Miles/The Soldier
3. Obsidium Urbis/The Besieging of a City
4. A Gran Battaglia
5. A Prayer - Allah
6. The Lament of Urim
7. Psalmus - Domine Exaudi
8. Lacrimosa
9. A Sad Pavan for these Distracted Times
10. Cradle Song - What does little birdie say?
The recording is conducted by Andrew Parrott with soloists Emily van Evera, Petra Noskaiova and Tomas Selc, the orchestra Solamente Naturali (with Milos Valent) and the Cathedral Choir of St Martin (director Dusan Bill). The CD is available from Pavian Records, and can be purchased online from various outlets.
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