Anthracite Fields

Anthracite Fields is an oratorio for choir and chamber ensemble by the American composer Julia Wolfe.
The work was commissioned by the Mendelssohn Club with contributions from New [Music USA] and was premiered by Bang on a Can All Stars and the Mendelssohn Club Chorus in Philadelphia, April 26, 2014. It was awarded the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Music.
The oratorio commemorates the history of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Coal Region, taking its name from anthracite, a form of coal that can be used for domestic fuel. The composer has called it a tribute to those who “persevered and endured in the Pennsylvania Anthracite coal region.”

Background

On her inspiration and research for the composition, Wolfe wrote:

Composition

Anthracite Fields runs about one hour. It combines elements of folk and classical music. Its libretto contains various oral histories, speeches, interviews, advertisements, and other texts from the history of the region.
The piece consists of five movements:

Reception

Its Pulitzer Prize citation calls it "a powerful oratorio for chorus and sextet evoking Pennsylvania coal-mining life around the turn of the 20th Century." Music critic Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times praised the composition as "an unforgettably haunting, harrowing evocation of the plight of Pennsylvania's coal miners, incorporating many musical styles and effectively shadowy visuals."