The Great War (World War I) refers to the war of 1914-1918, at the time the largest international conflict in human history. All but one of these poems set to music were written by Canadian soldiers; with some of those represented here having died in battle.
There are too many wars to count going on right now. One is too much. I hope that my music is not misconstrued as glorifying war, or as an intentional prayer for peace. It was my foremost intention to bring to the public’s attention the power of the original written word of these six men who partook in a life-defining adventure unparalleled in human history. Today, with our immediate broadcastings of global devastation, they were of a different time, witnessing with their raw unfiltered nerves the inhumanities of the new age of modern warfare. They responded through verse, translating the incomprehensible into the sensual language of art. They sing of fire, of love, of chivalry even, in the hellscape that was the Western Front. These are the words of turn-of-the-century young men of unexpectedly violent times. Perhaps this is what makes their words, their dialogue with us, most relevant for today’s audiences.
This work was premiered on November 9th and 10, 2019, at the Arts Court Theatre and Mackay United Church, in Ottawa, Canada, under the baton of Pratik Gandhi, with trombonist Felix Del Tredici, violinists Marianne Di Tomaso, Essie Liu, violist Maxime Despax, cellist Jake Klinkenborg, and bassist Vicente Garcia. The album was recorded by Mike Mullin, with support from the Ontario Arts Council and private sponsors.
