Dona Nobis Pacem by Ralph Vaughan Williams June 10, 2012

The music program of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington will present Dona Nobis Pacem by Ralph Vaughan Williams. A 1936 manifesto for world peace, this cantata is for soprano and baritone soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Vaughan Williams' textual sources included poetry by Walt Whitman about the American Civil War, an excerpt from a John Bright speech in opposition to the Crimean War, and biblical excerpts. The six movements go through the cycle of war and peace, ending where it starts, with a plea for peace. Soprano soloists are Phyllis Liner, Bea Ann Phillips, and Lori Rottenberg. Baritone soloists are Hal Cleary and John Bohman.