New Dawn
Oratorio by Andrew Downes for SATB soloists, SATB chorus and symphony orchestra including guitar ensemble in 6 movements.
The texts are 19th-century translations of traditional poetry from various tribes of North American Indians, predominantly of the New Mexico area. Together, the poems form a story about the life-cycle of the Earth from the death to the re-birth of a soul. The Oratorio is a celebration of this natural cycle, and is dedicated to all those societies and individuals who are content to see themselves as part of Mother Earth, rather than seeking to own and, eventually, destroy her.
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