Burnley Choir to commemorate end of First World War with poignant autumn concert

The concert, entitled "1918 Lest We Forget", takes place in St Peter’s Church, Church Street, Burnley, on Saturday, November 24th, at 7-30pm.

It will be conducted by Nigel Wilkinson and accompanied by East Lancs Sinfonia.

The concert will join commemorations of the end of the First World War with performances of two contrasting works, one from the 18th Century and one from the 20th.

Vaughan Williams' "Dona Nobis Pacem" was first performed in 1936 by the Huddersfield Choral Society and was widely performed in the years leading up to the Second World War.

It combines poems by Walt Whitman with the Agnus Dei from the Latin Mass, part of John Bright’s 1855 speech in Parliament at the time of the Crimean War and biblical references from both the Old Testament and St Luke’s Gospel.

Haydn’s "Mass in Time of War" is a joyful piece which also ends with "Dona Nobis Pacem".

Written in 1796, it gives pointers to the effect of Imperial decrees on Austrian church music and to the imminent invasion of Napoleon’s troops.

It was first performed on December 26th in 1796 in the Parish Church of Maria Treu in Vienna.

A distinguished quartet of soloists joins the choir for this concert. Nicola Howard (soprano) and Thomas D. Hopkinson (bass) for the first time, local mezzo soprano Samantha Oxborough and Nicholas Sales (tenor) who recently made his debut at the Royal Opera House.

The choir has a new website www.burnleychoir.co.uk which now offers online booking.

Tickets are £10 in advance, from the website or choir members and £12 on the door. Under 18s tickets are £15.