Norwegian composer Ståle Kleiberg, born in 1958, modeled his Requiem for the Victims of Nazi Persecution on the War Requiem of Benjamin Britten, who interspersed the traditional Latin texts of the requiem with the poetry of World War I writer Wilfred Owen. Kleiberg used poetry by Scots World War II veteran Edwin Morgan. Kleiberg's work is more limited in scope and reach than Britten's masterpiece, but it is a moving, beautifully crafted expression of grief and outrage at the devastation of war. Morgan's poems deal with the ...
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Norwegian composer Ståle Kleiberg, born in 1958, modeled his Requiem for the Victims of Nazi Persecution on the War Requiem of Benjamin Britten, who interspersed the traditional Latin texts of the requiem with the poetry of World War I writer Wilfred Owen. Kleiberg used poetry by Scots World War II veteran Edwin Morgan. Kleiberg's work is more limited in scope and reach than Britten's masterpiece, but it is a moving, beautifully crafted expression of grief and outrage at the devastation of war. Morgan's poems deal with the suffering of three persecuted minorities: Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals. The poems themselves have negligible literary merit, but they are emotionally potent and give Kleiberg the opportunity to create moving solos for mezzo- soprano, soprano, and baritone. He writes with a broadly eclectic expressive palette, and his handling of his orchestral, choral, and solo vocal forces is expert and imaginative. He cites Debussy, Ravel, Schoenberg, and Shostakovich as his primary inspirations...
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