Paulus: To be certain of the Dawn, oratorio for cantor, soloists, children's chorus, mixed chorus and orchestra.
Commissioned by a Catholic body - the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis - as a gift to the Jewish community, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the freeing of Holocaust survivors and to help teach an important lesson: the prevention of future genocide is in the hands of today’s children. In creating the work, composer Stephen Paulus and librettist Michael Dennis Browne have emphasized the victimization of innocent children, and a children’s choir plays an important part in the score. This aspect was further underscored at the first performance in 2005 by the projection of photographs from 1935-1938 of Jewish children living in cities and villages in Eastern Europe.
Barry Abelson, cantor; Elizabeth Futral, soprano; Christina Baldwan, mezzo-soprano; John Tessier, tenor; Philip Cokorinos, bass-baritone; Minnesota Chorale; Minnesota Boychoir, The Basilica Cathedral Choir; The Cathedral Choristers.
Klassik Heute 10/10/10, highest rating.
