In Flanders Fields

— Requiem for the Fallen —

The Military Doctor, John McCrae, wrote the famed wartime poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, in 1915, at the battlefront during WWI.

Decades later, as a teenager I read the poem and decided to ride my bike through the fields of crosses in ‘Flanders Fields’.

Years ago, I composed the Oratorio ‘Requiem for the Fallen’ as a tribute to the victims of foreign wars and to honor our veterans. I included ‘In Flanders Fields’ among the lyrics because these verses had struck me: ‘To you… we throw the torch; if ye break faith with us who die we shall not sleep’. Freedom is not free.

During WWII, on D-day June 6, 1944, thousands of Allied troops and members of the resistance died in Normandy as they secured the beachhead that would lead, a year later, to the freedom of Europe. That day still remains a most poignant symbol of hope for mankind. . *** The Oratorio ‘Requiem for the Fallen’ was first played in 2018 in southwest France for the centennial of WWI. The mayors of two towns attended the event in the church of Saint-Clar, Fleurance. About every youth orchestra player had a relative who was a soldier in WWI. In 2019, the large version of the Oratorio premiered at Carnegie Hall, New York, with the Consul of Belgium in attendance.

In hope for peace and non violence, two more performances took place in Moscow. In 2020, the U.S. Embassy financed an event in commemoration of the WWII alliance; then, in December 2021, a concert took place in an art gallery downtown. Afterwards, guests waved ‘heart’ and ‘I love you’ signs over Zoom and a Bishop called the Oratorio ‘Music for Peace’. Still, ten weeks later, Ukraine was invaded. But the vibrant hope for Freedom still resonates.

The first piano Concerto ‘Imagine New York’ evoking Freedom and the Statue of Liberty, opened the 2021 concert. Later, to expand on this image of hope and optimism, I composed the Alto Saxophone Concerto ’Springtime in Chicago’. In 2024 the large Cantata ‘The Bells of Hope’ and the piano Toccata ‘Resolve and Pride’ were also composed, the latter echoing the fiery spirit of resistance found in Frederic Chopin’s compositions when, two centuries earlier, Poland, his homeland, was repeatedly invaded by Russia. . ***

‘Between War and Peace’, the 2025 percussive & melodic left hand piano concerto Op. 64, entices reflection on the wars in the world. After a forceful start, the music lightens up and invites peace.

But how tragic it is to compare the carefree mood of pieces like the ‘Brooklyn Rag’ or the string quintet ‘Susie Sunshine’, composed before the 9-11 attacks, to the more somber works composed afterwards, in a world that does not have the will to live in peace. . *** Videos of the Oratorio ‘Requiem for the Fallen’, the Piano Concerto ‘Imagine New York’ and other works are posted under VIDEOS. Since 2023, pandemic and wars have prevented additional events.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our places; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
in Flanders Fields.

by: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
MD (1872 – 1918)
Canadian Army