Member Article

Hymns for the fallen will mark Somme centenary

The Durham Hymns - BRASS Festival 2016 - Durham Cathedral

Saturday 16 July, 7.30pm

Durham Cathedral will form the magnificent setting for the première of a major new work for brass band and choir to commemorate the centenary of one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War.

The Durham Hymns – which features lyrics specially written by the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, and inspired by the people of County Durham – will receive its première on the evening of Saturday 16 July to mark the passing of 100 years since the beginning of the Battle of the Somme.

Featuring new music from composers Orland Gough, Jessica Curry and Johnny Bates, Durham Hymns is a special World War One commemorative project and a highlight BRASS 2016 event.

Over 100 performers from the Centenary Choir & Brass Band and Voice of Hope community choir will premiere Durham Hymns at Durham Cathedral to commemorate the sacrifice, courage and endurance of the people of County Durham during the course of the Somme offensive (1 July-18 November, 1916).

The Durham Light Infantry suffered terrible casualties at the Somme – of 15,000 soldiers from the company who took part in the battle, over half of that number were wounded, killed or reported missing.

It is their sacrifice, as well as the endurance of the County Durham people on the home front, that inspired Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy to pen the lyrics for this new suite of hymns.

With the help of the Durham County Record Office, the artistic team behind the concert drew inspiration from personal letters, diaries, press reports and court records of the time, plus experiences recounted in personal memoirs written later and passed down through families.

The performance is intended to remind the audience not only of those who died and the shattering yet heroic wartime experiences of the survivors, but also to tell the stories of those left behind, to reveal their stoicism, courage and resilience and to bring home the hidden impact of the war on subsequent generations.

The concert will be repeated in the Chapel of Ushaw College on 24 September. Further performances are planned at Sunderland Minster, St Hilda’s, Hartlepool, and St Joseph’s in Felling, Gateshead, reflecting something of the original County Durham boundaries, which at the time of the First World War included the industrial centres of Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Hartlepool.

The Durham Hymns is funded by: Arts Council England, Durham County Council, Heritage Lottery Trust, PRS Foundation, Northern Regional Brass Band Trust

For further info or to book tickets go to http://www.galadurham.co.uk/

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nicky Mckeen .