Michael Berkeley - Or shall we die?
The oratorio 'Or Shall We Die?' was commissioned from Ian McEwan and Michael Berkeley by the London Symphony Orchestra Chorus in 1983, the year that Reagan declared that a nuclear conflict in Europe was not only thinkable, but winnable; cruise missiles came to Britain; Heseltine was appointed by Thatcher to extinguish CND; Professions for World Disarmament and Development was formed at the suggestion of Fenner Brockway and MANA was formed as one of those professional peace groups. 'Or Shall We Die?' argues that only if we have the strength to bind feeling to the intellect shall we survive. Our civilisation with its emphasis on aggression, competitiveness, objectivity, the mastery of nature, will need to become more compassionate, nurturing, intuitive in its best sense if it is not to destroy itself more. Although the text is divided into sections, the momentum of the words carries the music through without a break. Lyrical passages are constantly interrupted by more strident sounds creating a relentless sense of unease.
The oratorio 'Or Shall We Die?' was commissioned from Ian McEwan and Michael Berkeley by the London Symphony Orchestra Chorus in 1983, the year that Reagan declared that a nuclear conflict in Europe was not only thinkable, but winnable; cruise missiles came to Britain; Heseltine was appointed by Thatcher to extinguish CND; Professions for World Disarmament and Development was formed at the suggestion of Fenner Brockway and MANA was formed as one of those professional peace groups. 'Or Shall We Die?' argues that only if we have the strength to bind feeling to the intellect shall we survive. Our civilisation with its emphasis on aggression, competitiveness, objectivity, the mastery of nature, will need to become more compassionate, nurturing, intuitive in its best sense if it is not to destroy itself more. Although the text is divided into sections, the momentum of the words carries the music through without a break. Lyrical passages are constantly interrupted by more strident sounds creating a relentless sense of unease.
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