By a Bierside

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Ivor Gurney composed 'By a Bierside' while serving in the front-line trenches of the Great War in 1916. The themes of death and loss are obvious in the music (the words by poet John Masefield talks of the destruction of a city) but the calmness of the song doesn't match the dangerous and brutal situation he was in at the time he was writing it. Composer: Ivor Gurney Performer: Kathryn Rudge (Mezzo) Performer: James Baillieu (Piano) Recording date: 13 February 2017 Date of broadcast: 13 February 2017