In Time of War: Prayers and Meditations

In Time of War: Prayers and Meditations was completed in June 2004. The work was written in response to the wartime events of our time, and juxtaposes vocal movements based upon Latin prayers with purely orchestral sections (meditations on wartime subjects.) The Latin prayers in this work consist of the Agnus Dei from the Mass, a prayer which asks God for forgiveness of the sins of the world, and two hymns for the Virgin Mary: Ave Maria and Ave Maris Stella. The concept of the Blessed Mother as the spiritual mother of all humanity is a powerful one which I believe touches us on a deep level. As children, our mothers give us guidance, tenderness, unconditional love, and protection in a world where evil exists. In our time, horrific wartime events daily take their toll on innocent civilians, while motherhood is revered in all cultures. This work is about the coexistance of these two disparate but ever-present realities, representing the best (unconditional love) and worst (war) aspects of the human condition. - Henry Mollicone