Schott Lamento di Guerra Composed by Dieter Schnebel

The work is in two parts. 'Lamento di Guerra I' was written in the wake of the Gulf War; an initially plaintive lamentation turns more urgent and ends in howling. 'Lamento di Guerra II', triggered by reports of atrocities in the Yugoslav civil war, has a more ritualistic character. The scoring for the vocal part is flexible, but the desired 'harsh' timbre is probably best achieved by a mezzo soprano or alto. For mezzo-soprano and organ, or synthesizer and accordion.