The combined bands of Corps of Army Music, Southern Region, featuring musicians from:
The Band of The Parachute Regiment
The Band of The Royal Corps of Signals
The Band of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Band of the Adjutant General’s Corps
The Band of The Light Cavalry
The Corps of Drums 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment
and singers from:
Southampton Philharmonic Choir
Southampton University Philharmonic Choir
and with compère Matt Le Tissier
sports presenter and former Southampton and England footballer.
The 02 Guildhall Southampton is hosting a spectacular Hampshire Festival of Remembrance to commemorate this year's 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.
Following the success of last year's sell-out performance, a band of the South’s top military musicians returns to stage another colourful performance, along with a chorus of 100 voices from Southampton Philharmonic Choir and the Southampton University Philharmonc Choir, all under the baton of Captain Tony Adams, Director of Music at Tidworth. The magnificent Corps of Drums of The Yorkshire Regiment will also be returning.
The evening's programme of music includes Behind the Lines, a work composed by Rifleman, Cecil Coles. At the outbreak of the First World War, Cecil Coles was regimental Band Master in the Queen‘s Victoria Rifles, and received an immediate call up. He continued to compose even during action, sending manuscripts back whenever possible. During a period of withdrawal, a shell destroyed all the band's instruments and some of his manuscripts, and on 26th April, 1918, he was killed by a German sniper whilst on active duty retrieving the wounded. It is said he was writing Behind the Lines just before he died, and the original, unfinished manuscript bears a bullet hole. Amongst other items in the programme are: Mars (from Holst's Planets Suite); Hymn to the Fallen (from John Willliams' soundtrack to Saving Private Ryan); a choir and band setting of the tune Nimrod, (from Elgar's Enigma Variations); The Last Night of the World (from the hit musical, Miss Saigon).
Tickets from the box office: 02380 632601 or online.
