8. Mai 1945

The date of Mikko Sidoroff's work for mixed choir, 8. Mai 1945 (May 8, 1945) holds great significance for the entire world, perhaps even most for Germany. On this day, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies led by Britain, the Soviet Union, France, and the United States, by signing the surrender document. The work draws on several texts: John McCrae's In Flanders Fields (1915) actually relates to World War I. Its message, however, is universal: although the poem historically refers to the battles in Flanders, Bel-gium, it reflects all war-torn battlefields worldwide. "Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine" is from the Catholic Requiem Mass, which honors our deceased fellow humans. The third element is a recitation by a tenor soloist from the aforementioned surrender document, situating the work within a historical time-line. Additionally, the piece includes verses from the prophet Micah's book, where the message of peace is quite clear: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks."