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The two versions of the piece (Mixed Chorus and Piano, and the Mixed Chorus a Cappella) differ significantly in the first and last sections, the central section is identical.
Written in February 2023, close to the first-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, God of War is a commentary on the human propensity for violence and war. The piece is based on a poem written around 2300 B.C.E. by Enheduanna, a Sumerian priestess, possibly the earliest known named author in world history. The poem reminds us of how long humanity has warred in folly. The composition, although based on a very dramatic theme and text, is restrained. The feeling it tries to communicate is somewhere in between the short lived, delusional worship of a god that takes humanity into war, and the dismay resulting from the unbridled violence that follows.
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