Lest we forget: Strongly recommended CD

Subject: RE: Lest we forget: Strongly recommended CD
From: Wolfgang
Date: 24 Nov 00 - 06:53 AM

George,
I came here since I saw you mentioning this thread at another place. Thanks for telling. It seems to be a great CD. I'll try to buy it.

Wolfgang

Subject: Lest we forget: Strongly recommended CD
From: GeorgeH
Date: 23 Nov 00 - 02:00 PM

Topical in view of a number of threads round about 11th November . .

I've recommended this CD before, in various threads, but have never been able to point people at a supplier. However, I now find it listed at ADA Music (http://members.aol.com/adamailorder).

"We died in hell - they called it Passchendaele"

In my opinion, the finest commemoration of those who gave their lives for their country (whatever country that might happen to be!), being both commemorative and conciliatory. The CD is a live recording compiled from a series of concert performances in 1992. The project was the idea of Piet Chielens, the founder and curator of the Battlefields Museum at Ypres (which, I am assured, is an outstanding museum covering all aspects of the Great War). The CD features
Shoshanna Kalisch, a German Jewish survivor of Auschwitz
June Tabor
Kristien Dehollander (from Flanders, I believe)
Marwan Zoueini, an Arab "survivor" of Beirut.
plus "The Lone Tree Orchestra" which adds further nationalities to the mix!

This is very much a co-operative project; with the "named" artists performing in various combinations; on the Brech/Weill "Ballad of the Soldier's Wife" the three women sing verses in their own language before coming together for the last verse (in German?).

It is, simply, an outstanding recording.

At 75 minutes the CD is, apparently, less than half of the concert. In particular, most of the narrative pieces have been removed, although the one which remains - an interworking of the description of a concert party in the reserve lines by a VAD nurse with the chorus of "It's a long way to Tipperary" and leading into Bill Cadick's short song "The Reaper - is probably the ultimate achievement of the recording.

We bought our copy from June Tabor early in 1993, after she talked to us about working on the project. That conversation reduced the three of us to tears. Last week we had another conversation with June about the project, with the same result. Those conversations touch on the emotional intensity of the concerts, which are well captured on the CD; it's the perfect Christmas purchase!

For the record, I've no connection with this recording beyond what's indicated in this article!

Oh, and one of the tracks is Tsen Brider, which someone was asking about in another recent thread.

G. (Last time I attempted to post this my machine crashed; sorry if Mudcat was left with an aborted thread . .)