Choral Concert
Following in the tradition set by Benjamin Britten in his 'War Requiem', the film score composer Karl Jenkins interpolated texts on the subject of the horrors of war into the liturgy of the Mass. The armed man of the title draws on the traditional L'Homme Armé, written in France as The Hundred Years War between England and France drew to a close in 1453.
From the very first number, L'Homme Armé itself, it was obvious that the choir were in sparkling form. Excellent diction and hugely dramatic representations were going to be a hallmark of the evening. Beautiful chording gave the Kyrie a calm nobility, while tenors and basses were in belligerent mood for Save Me From Bloody Men.
The exquisite and much-loved Sanctus contrasted perfectly its initial oasis of calm with the explosion of sound on "Hosanna in excelsis". The Charge, a setting of a poem by John Dryden, hurtled along at breakneck pace, with the virtuoso percussion section in full flow. As this plummets to its climax, there were terrifying screams, followed by a perfectly judged Last Post by Stuart Paul.
Angry Flames, a lament for the victims of Hiroshima, featured wonderful solos from Alex Wynn, Peter Oakley and Elmley de la Cour, all displaying the most natural musicianship and phrasing. There were other excellent solo contributions during the evening from Emma Butler and Alex Penn, and particularly Olivia Nash in the Kyrie. The dramatic rise and fall of this work was poignantly signed with the calm dignity of the beautiful Agnus Dei. Peter Oakley then gave the most mature performance imaginable of Guy Wilson's Now The Guns Have Stopped - no professional could have done this piece more credit.
Sarah Lovell's haunting cello obbligato set the scene perfectly for the wonderfully poised Benedictus, before we had the joyous optimism of Better Is Peace, culminating in the serenity of the choir's final passage from Revelations. It was a memorable and powerful evening, and reflected huge credit on these young performers.