Morning Heroes
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Morning Heroes is a symphony for orator, chorus and orchestra by the English composer Arthur Bliss.
Essentially an oratorio in all but name, it was written as a tribute to his brother and his comrades-in-arms who were killed in the First World War. It sets poems by Walt Whitman, Wilfred Owen, Robert Nichols, Li Tai Po and Homer (The Iliad). The extracts are spoken by a narrator and sung by a large choir.
Juxtaposing the harsh images of trench warfare with the epic heroes of Ancient Greece, the parallels Bliss draws are essentially romantic, and the work as a whole has been criticised as being rather complacent.[1] Nonetheless the piece was popular from its first performance in 1928 and is still occasionally performed.
It has been recorded on several occasions, with narrators including John Westbrook, Brian Blessed and Richard Baker.
[edit] References
- ^ Penguin Guide to Classical Music
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