Tippett's Spirituals Suite

In the midst of the gathering storm clouds of World War Two, English composer Sir Michael Tippett wrote his best-known piece — a searing antiwar oratorio called "A Child of Our Time." Most of the words — and music — in the oratorio were Tippett's own, except for the five African-American spirituals that the composer used both as beacons of truth, and moments of reflection, throughout the piece. Tippett later put the five spirituals together in a concert suite for orchestra and chorus, performed here by Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, all directed by Robert Spano.