Symphony No.3 "The Shadows of Japanese Children" by Michael Cooke is a four-movement work based on Japanese music. A book found in a Dallas used bookstore, Unforgettable Fire, inspired it. Atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki filled this book with drawings and stories. Many were about children turned into ash statues - their shadows burned on the ground. This very powerful book reminds us that war is not a video game. This work is dedicated to those children.
The second movement, Where has the Shadow's Father Gone?, is based on the lullaby "Ora No Omboko". The third movement, The Mountain of One Thousand Good Fortunes is Ablaze!, is based on the folk song "Sempuku-yama". The titles of the second and third movements are based on the lyrics of the original folk song.
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