Home for mixed choir with divisi

The Belgian composer Rudi Tas has set one of Francis Ledwidge's final poems, Home to music with heartbreaking affect. Ledwidge, who fought at the front in World War I, writes about the homesickness he feels when he finds a robin singing near the battlefield, reminding him of his home in County Meath. Ledwidge yearns for not only the people he had to leave behind, but also the natural landscape of his home. Eleven days later, the Battle of Passchendaele began during which Ledwidge would sadly lose his life.

The end of Tas' piece contains the first notes from the opening theme of the traditional Roman Catholic Requiem Mass.

World Premiere November 10, 2019 by New Dublin Voices | Conductor: Bernie Sherlock