William Kraft
Songs of Flowers, Bells & Death
Albany Records TR415
01:04:40
1. Songs of Flowers, Bells and Death, Requiem for Victims of all Wars, for chorus & percussion orchestra (Contextures 4) 15:25
Shepherd School Percussion Ensemble
Shepherd Singers
Alastair Willis
Texts :
Issa (Japanese, 1763-1827)
Wilfred Owen (English, 1893-1918)
Basho (Japanese, 1644-94)
South Dakota Sioux Indians
Homer: the Illiad — Book IX (c. 700 B.C.)
True Religion, Tulsedas (c. 1532-1623)

2. Silent Boughs "To Jackie", for mezzo soprano & string orchestra 17:31
Marilyn Horne, mezzo-soprano
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Henry Lewis
Poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay

3. Contextures II: the Final Beast for soprano, tenor, chorus, orchestra, chamber ensemble 31:42
Andrew Busher, Tenor
Sarah Eyden, Soprano
New London Children's Choir
Ensemble Lontano
Odaline de la Martinez
Texts :
Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) - Insensibility.
Franta Bass (1930-44) - "The Garden"
Homer (c. 9th cent. B.C.) - The Illiad (Nestor's speech from Box IX)
Psalm 146 - “Blessed are the peacemakers…
Jeremiah 4:19-26 (Revised Standard Version of the Bible) - The End of the World
Walther von der Vogelweide (c. 1165-1230) - Palesteinlied
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-82) - The Arsenal at Springfield
John Scott (1730-83) - I Hate that Drum's Discordant Sound
John Dowland (1563-1626) - Can She Excuse (music only)

 
Franta Bass (Born in Brno (Czechoslovakia) on September 4, 1930, sent to Terezin December 2, 1942, and died in Auschwitz October 28, 1944.)

The Garden

A little garden,
Fragrant and full of roses.
The path is narrow
And a little boy walks along it.

A little boy, a sweet boy,
Like that growing blossom,
When the blossom comes to bloom,
The little boy will be no more.

Le jardin

Un petit jardin,
Odorant et plein de roses.
Le chemin est étroit,
Et un petit garçon y marche

Un petit garçon, un joli petit garçon
Semblable à ce bourgeon prêt à s'ouvrir.
Quand le bourgeon fleurira,
Le petit garçon ne sera plus.

Der Garten

Das kleine Rosengärtlein
duftet heut so sehr,
es geht auf schmalem Wege
ein Knabe hin und her.

Ein Knäblein, ach so schön und hold,
ein Knösplein, das g’rad blühen wollt’,
erblüht einmal das Knösplein klein,
so wird das Knäblein nicht mehr sein.