The Symphony Choir of Johannesburg & The Philharmonia Choir of Cape Town ||
Premièred at The Royal Albert Hall, London on 25 April 2000, the Armed Man charts the growing menace of a descent into war, interspersed with moments of reflection; shows the horrors that war brings; and ends with the hope for peace in a new millennium, when “sorrow, pain and death can be overcome” In addition to extracts from the Ordinary of the Mass, the text incorporates words from other religious and historical sources, including the Islamic call to prayer, the Bible (e.g. the Psalms and Revelation), and the Mahabharata. Writers whose words appear in the work include Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Sankichi Toge, who survived the bombing but died some years later of leukaemia.
Conducted by Richard Cock.