Artists Rifles - Volume 1

A 75-minute definitive collection of great war poetry and prose read by the authors themselves, with music by composers who served in the conflict and wrote in memory of it. Every recording of this digitally remastered disc is priceless and is highly recommended to anyone seeking truly contemporary responses to the Great War.

This CD contains the work and voices of some the great composers and poets, including Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves, Edmund Blunden, Laurence Binyon, Edgell Rickword, Gustav Holst, Edward Elgar, Cecil Coles, Maurice Ravel, and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Perhaps the most poignant recording is that of Sergeant Edward Dwyer VC of the East Surrey Regiment. This invaluable archive appears to be the only one made of an ordinary soldier describing his experiences while the war was in progress. Recorded around December 1915, this diminutive hero was killed the following September whilst leading his men in an attack near Guillemont on the Somme.

The title of this first volume, 'Artists' Rifles' is taken from the pseudonym of the 28th London Regiment. This regiment can name among its members the likes of Wilfred Owen and Edward Thomas.

This CD is eminently suitable for educational, library or museum use, and, an absolute must for anyone with an interest Great War poets and the First World War generally. The CD booklet contains detailed biographical and recording notes, which further enhance this offering.

Full Track List

1. George Butterworth: English Idyll No. 2 5.10
2. Siegfried Sassoon: July 31st 1914 3.56
3. Edward Elgar: Carillon 6.57
4. Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin (Prelude) 2.53
5. Robert Graves: Dawn Bombardment 0.39
6. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Prelude (Sinfonia Antarctica) 2.37
7. David Jones: In Parenthesis (Part 3) 6.12
8. Siegfried Sassoon: Attack 0.59
9. Gustav Holst: Mars - Bringer of War 6.06
10. Edmund Blunden: Concert Party, Busseboom 1.14
11. Ernest Moeran: Lonely Waters 6.59
12. Edgell Rickword: Winter Warfare / The Soldier Addresses His Body 2.15
13. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Pastoral Symphony (2nd Movement) 7.24
14. Ivor Gurney: In Flanders 3.00
15. Arthur Bliss: Morning Heroes (Spring Offensive) 3.21
16. Laurence Binyon: For the Fallen 2.43
17. Cecil Coles: Cortege 5.26
18. Sgt. Edward Dwyer: With Our Boys at the Front 6.27

Total Timing 57.12

PLEASE ALLOW 7 DAYS FOR DELIVERY OF THIS ITEM