Vedem: A Holocaust Oratorio
Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 11:03AM 2010 | boychoir, mezzo-soprano and tenor soloists, clarinet, violin, cello and piano
This oratorio was commissioned by Music of Remembrance and was premiered by MOR at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA on May 10, 2010. It is scored for boychoir, mezzo-soprano and tenor soloists, clarinet, violin, cello and piano. The songs from the oratorio can be sung independently as a separate song cycle, and these are scored for the soloists with clarinet and piano accompaniment.
The libretto intertwines the original poetry secretly published by the boys of Terezin with David Mason’s brilliant depiction of their lives. The poems are by Petr Ginz, Hanus Hachenburg, Zdenek Ornest, and Josef Taussig.
The oratorio is about one hour long and contains the following songs:
The Transports; Memories of Prague; Home Number One; Vedem; Five; Just A Little Warmth; In Terezin The Mind Was Free; Thoughts: Like Leaves About To Fall; Love In The Floodgates; We Were Alive, Approximately; A Model Ghetto; They Are Gone; Farewell To Summer; We Were No Different Than You.
Naxos released a CD of Vedem in May 2011. The CD also contains the premiere recording of Fathers.
Here is a link to the Naxos e-card with audio and visual excerpts:
http://web11.streamhoster.com/naxosusa/ecards/vedem/index.html
See also Vedem Songs and Vedem Choral Excerpts.