 |
|
|
|
||
 |
|
||||
| John Sharian ( written by Penny Rimbaud ) | |
||||
 |
|
||||
|
 |
Artist: John Sharian
( written by Penny Rimbaud )
Track Listings: 1. Oh America 'Oh America', a poem set to music, is the first CD release on the Crass Collective's Exitstencil label. In terms of sound it might seem a long way from the discords of Crass, yet in its sentiments there are striking similarities: indignation, outrage and downright anger, qualities for which its author, Penny Rimbaud, is renowned - his Crass classic, "Yes, Sir, I Will" was once compared in stature with Ginsberg's "Howl". However those who know Rimbaud's earlier work, "Acts of Love", will also recognise the more considerd side of his nature in his plea to America to 'give us justice which is not the searing spite of revenge, peace which is not the product of war nor dependent upon it'. In response to President Bush's promise of 'a war that will not end in our lifetime', Rimbaud looked to another promise, that of a New York's Statue of Liberty - 'give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free'- and created a poem in which she speaks of the tragic global consequences of today's 'American Dream' and the disquieting history that made it possible- 'give me the ghosts of the people who you destroyed and whose nation you stole...' 'Oh America' is performed by acclaimed American actor/director John Sharian, and set to Barber's 'Angus Dei', perhaps the most loved classical composition in the U.S., sung on this recording by the English Chamber Choir. The combination of Rimbaud's words and Barber's music creates a work which is both beautiful and disturbing; a chilling reminder (if reminder is needed) of the confused values of a western world. |
|
||
Catalogue: EXIT1-02