Choir to sing at the Minster

The concert gets under way ay 7.30pm, as part of the Trent To Trenches World War One commemoration events.

Elgar’s The Spirit of England and Dona Nobis Pacem by Ralph Vaughan Williams will be sung in the magnificent setting of Southwell Minster.

Nottingham Harmonic Choir, soloists, and the Orchestra da Camera, will be conducted by Richard Laing, the choir’s music director.

The heart-wrenching text is drawn from poetry written by men who had witnessed war at first hand. The music vividly portrays the noise and horrors of war. But then a lone voice pleading for mercy and peace is echoed by the choir.

The orchestra will first be transporting audience members to an idyllic countryside scene, by playing The Lark Ascending, also composed by Vaughan Williams.

You can just imagine a lark soaring up into the heights of the Minster vaults, no drums or bugles disturbing the peaceful scene. So, the presentation of Standards, a lone bugle, contemplative and uplifting words and music, will together provide an evening for reflection and thanks.

The Spirit Of England is a choral work in three parts written by Elgar during the First World War while Dona Nobis Pacem was composed by Vaughan Williams in 1936, amid the worsening political situation in Europe.

Seats are £20 (concessions £18) and are available from: Windblowers, 75-77 Derby Road Nottingham, 0115 941 0543 (cash or cheque only), among others, or the choir’s website at www.NottinghamHarmonic.org

Follow the choir on twitter @ Notts_Harmonic