Selections from Fields of Poppies, a creation by Livia Teodorescu-Ciocănea, will be performed for the first time on November 21st and 22nd, 2024, during concerts by the ensembles of the George Enescu Philharmonic, conducted by Nabil Shehata.

Ms. Livia Teodorescu-Ciocănea, selections from your 2018 oratorio Fields of Poppies will have their world premiere as part of the concerts on Thursday and Friday, November 21st and 22nd, 2024, performed by the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir. The score is dedicated to the memory of those who fell during the First World War. How would you describe the musical language used to illustrate this theme?

The musical language is deeply rooted in Western European symphonism, with infusions of Eastern European melodies. There are moments of greater density, characteristic of modern language-masses of sound unfolding-but also moments of transparency, which I would describe as orchestral or choral "mist," along with less conventional timbral effects.

I would say that this is a work that seeks to depict-through the established means of symphonism and vocality, supplemented by modern techniques-a scenario that includes elements that are not just dramatic but even tragic.

What place does the oratorio Fields of Poppies occupy in your body of work?

If I integrate this oratorio into my vocal-symphonic output, it is certainly the most expansive. I have written cantatas with soloists and orchestra, but this oratorio also involves a choir. I have written opera, and I found that my operatic experience greatly aided me in imagining the music and coordinating the scenario with the type of music.

The title refers to the symbolism that poppies acquired during the First World War in connection with John McCrae's poem In Flanders Fields. Does the libretto draw on this poem? What role do the soloists play in the musical development?

First of all, the scenario includes multiple texts, not just McCrae's poem, and I would describe how these unfold. Initially, the work has five parts, but in these concerts, only three will be performed.

The first part, titled Big Ben Eleven, attempts to recreate the moment of profound emotion at Buckingham Palace when, at 11:00 AM UK time (12:00 PM in Germany), the ultimatum for German troop withdrawal from Belgium expired. Winston Churchill's memoirs describe this moment, recounting how a crowd gathered outside Buckingham Palace. When the famous clock Big Ben struck eleven, he said a foreboding silence fell, and the crowd began to sing God Save the King. Afterward, the Prime Minister announced Britain's entry into the war-marking the outbreak of the First World War.

The second part is entirely based on John McCrae's poem. McCrae, a Canadian officer, fought in this great conflict, specifically at the Second Battle of Ypres. This reference to Ypres is deeply moving, as it was during this battle that chlorine gas-a chemical weapon of mass destruction-was first used. McCrae noted a striking and haunting image: on the fields where tens of thousands of soldiers were buried, poppies grew. His poem is built upon this blood-soaked image of Flanders Fields, now cemeteries. The poem is voiced through those who perished, and the music is, accordingly, both grim and dramatic.

The third part, which is actually the fifth part of the work, is a moment of reflection and prayer. It uses a text by Queen Marie of Romania-a prayer that was published in 1919 in a collection called Writings and Icons. In this text, Queen Marie remembers the fallen soldiers who fought for her, as she was their mother, home, and faith. The words of this prayer are profoundly moving, and the third part, therefore, contrasts strongly with the first two in its tranquility and transcendence.

The soloists embody characters. In the first part, baritone Adrian Mărcan represents Prime Minister Henry Asquith. In the third part, mezzo-soprano Antonela Bârnat portrays Queen Marie. They act as characters in this oratorio. Meanwhile, in the second part, tenor George Vîrban personifies the collective voice of those sacrificed in this terrible human catastrophe.

You mentioned the symbolism of the poppy. Indeed, John McCrae's poem circulated orally during the war and was later published in 1919. Poppies became a symbol of gratitude and remembrance for the fallen.

If you've noticed, in the UK, during official ceremonies, public figures wear a poppy on their lapel. The poppy has thus become not only a symbol of the First World War but also of sacrifice and our gratitude.