Wild World for Mixed Choir

Chorus Book-This musical by Peter Rose and Anne Conlon was specially commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature to mark the organisation's 50th anniversary.Synopsis:The oak tree the panda the polar bear and the tiger remind us of the great wonders and beauties of the earth and the intricate threads of life linking every living thing. The children of the world tell us about the amazing web of trade and communication which has produced our exciting modern world with its global transport systems and its ever-changing technology.But as the musical unfolds the characters become more and more worried by changes beyond their control. The children ofthe world wonder how they can help to protect this wonderful life we all know.

Word Book-Yanomamo is an ecological musical for soloists chorus narrator and musical accompaniment. Yanomamo vividly tells of the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest and its effect on the Yanomamo the oldest Indian tribe living there. They lead a way of life in harmony with nature which undisturbed would survive with the forest indefinitely. However their existence and that of millions of animals and plant species is threatened by the arrival of outsiders who assume that the forest soil is permanently rich and that once the trees are cleared the land will be very productive. But after two years no crops will grow because the richness of the jungle is in thetrees not in the soil. The delicate balance of nature is being systematically removed and soon the rainforests which are crucial to the world's eco-system will disappear together with the Indians and the wildlife. Is there the time or the will to save them? Yanomamo was filmed as Song Of The Forest and shown in Channel 4's Fragile Earth series narrated by Sting. Published in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Composer's notes:The Fool is a time-honoured Orthodox religious figure: a Saint the highest of all who discards everything for Christ's sake. He discards all convention all decency all wealth actual and spiritual and turns himself into a figure of fun - defying all acceptable behaviour - and all religious decency. He stands in the square and lets down his trousers - he stuffs himself with food on Good Friday - he gets drunk - he 'appears'to fornicate wildly. There is a faint possibility (in not the highest of 'Fools') of gaining worldly popularity by such flagrant denial of all moral behaviour. Can such behaviour be too interesting? The true fool however embraces all of this and also (unseen) shrinks before the face of his God. By his behaviour he plucks out all hypocrisy false piety and corruption. He is a figure much needed in our times!!! The way I have tried to tacklethis extraordinary subject is to show him in seven stages from an obscene huge fat traditional clown who is drunk fornicating etc. through a stumbling frail agonized figure to a sallow-faced gaunt business man in a formalsuit staring at an empty glass. Having first revered him then mocked him the 'people' while they get drunk and jabber away at 'Christmas' and at the Feast of Feasts 'Easter' are no longer aware of him. But the audience seeshim - a tiny ragged scrap of mortality lying in a corner and faintly so faintly the voice of the Fool the true Fool for Christ's sake sings above the ribald crowd. 'He has given His life'. The Gogmagogs are the 'people' 'priests' 'singers' etc. and one male singer who can 'create' or 'uncreate' this vast role (singing and acting miming etc.) John Tavener Arranged for SSATBB chorus. Date of composition 2000. Chorus part only.