About this work: This work uses the poem, In Flanders Fields, by Canadian World War I soldier, Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D. The poem was written in 1915 about the battle in Ypres. The poem was first published in Punch, a newspaper in London, in December 1915. McCrae died in 1918, and a collection of his poems, including this one, was published posthumously in 1919.
The musical setting, for coloratura soprano, oboe, violin, viola, cello, and piano, utilizes three scales, one for each of the three verses of the original poem. In the first section, ambiguity exists between Bb Dorian (introduced in the oboe, for example) and Eb Mixolydian (introduced in the voice). The second and third sections each use synthetic scales, of eight and six notes respectively. The melodic material is used in all the parts, although frequently unrecognizable with rhythmic metamorphoses.
As cubism influenced Stravinsky, a similar technique was used in this work in which fragments of the three sections are juxtaposed on top of each other. The words as well as the text are jumbled. This symbolizes both the uprooting necessary for poppies to grow, but also the torn up battlefield in Flanders. The use of French and Flemish words, also later jumbled, symbolizes the torn up lives in an international conflict, as well as the battlefield with soil turned over on itself in order to create the conditions necessary for the poppies to grow.
This work is from a set of 10 pieces but may be performed on its own. Contact the composer for more information.