Allegaeon Post Video for Classical Interpretation of War Poem “In Flanders Fields”
Arriving as the B-side for Allegaeon’s recently released cover of J.S. Bach’s “Concerto in Dm” last month comes a new music video for the band’s interpretation of “In Flanders Fields,” a war poem by Andrew Macphail and John McCrae first published in 1915.
Allegaeon guitarist and ringleader Greg Burgess offered of what inspired him to tackle this particular project:
“In 1915, Canadian poet and military doctor Major John McCrae lost one of his best friends to a German artillery shell, during the second battle of Ypres. Inspired by grief, McCrae began the first draft of ‘In Flanders Fields’. Three years afterwards, the poem had such an impact, people started honoring soldiers by wearing poppies on their lapels.
“Being from the US, I was unaware of this poem and tradition, until we were on tour in Canada with Ne Obliviscaris in 2018. After being stranded by an ice storm in Ottawa, I was introduced to this poem and it struck a chord with me – inevitably this piece of the same name followed. As for the video – do we really need another classical video set in a beautiful place, having the performer with eyes closed perform? Probably not. Do we need a video where we have the juxtaposition of a classical guitarist in a beautiful place, while repping tech death? Survey says…why not!”
You can watch the video below and check out the aforementioned Bach cover here. Here is the original poem in its entirety:
“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.“We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.“Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.”
