Many thanks to those who have already registered an interest in taking part in the Hampshire Festival of Remembrance. The event, which will be compèred by Matt le Tissier and recorded live for broadcast on BBC Radio Solent on Sunday 10 November, is set to be the largest Remembrance event in the country, after the national Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on the following evening.
Just over 120 SPC/SU Phil singers have registered to take part, which is wonderful news, and the organisers are delighted with the response. We'll be directed by Major Lawrence Sale and accompanied by a 60 to 80-strong massed band, with players drawn from a number of military bands from Hampshire and beyond, so the more singers there are, the merrier!
The programme includes Crown Imperial (Walton), Warhorse (John Williams) and a Glenn Miller medley, as well as the items in which the choir will be involved, namely:
- National Anthem (arr. Gordon Jacob) Verse 1 – leading the audience singing as the event opens.
- Zadok the Priest (Handel), which closes the first half of the evening.
- A hymn, tbc, in the second half, with the audience.
- Sanctus, from The Armed Man (Karl Jenkins), the penultimate item in the second half.
- Pomp and Circumstance No 1 (Elgar) – Land of hope and glory – with the audience, as the finale.
All music will be provided, and David will begin rehearsing us for the event from Monday, 7 October, using the last fifteen minutes (approx) of rehearsal time over the coming weeks. On the day of the event, Major Sale has timetabled the choir's rehearsal for last thing in the afternoon, 5pm to 6pm, especially for us. This will be our only opportunity to rehearse with the band, so it is important that all singers attend. We'll start with the less critical items and end with Zadok and Sanctus.