A musical reflection for Remembrance Sunday

Oldham Choral Greater Love, East Lancs Sinfonia and Camilla Roberts, under the directorship of Nigel P Wilkinson

Oldham Choral Society, along with the East Lancs Sinfonia and soloist Camilla Roberts, all under the directorship of Nigel P Wilkinson, presented a musical reflection of Remembrance, to suit all tastes, under the collective title ‘Greater Love’, at the Royal Northern College of Music on Sunday (12 November).

Elgar featured large with his ‘The Spirit of England’, three poems by Laurence Binyon set to splendid music, which was offered in an energetic, probing and incisive way, by choir and orchestra. This was generously sponsored by the Elgar Society.

Elgar’s work was the traditional style of classical interpretation of the pain and anguish of war and death.

The new style came across in Dan Forrest’s ‘Requiem for the Living’, a regional premiere for the UK, which altered the usual format of other requiem works and was a powerful declaration that life can overcome all that went before.

The 97-strong choir sang sensitively with emotions to the fore.

The 30-strong Sinfonia ranged from haunting clarinet solo to triumphant glory.

This was an eclectic mix of remembrance music and song including Ivor Novello’s Keep the Home Fires Burning and Hayden Wood’s evocative Roses of Picardy.

Nigel P Wilkinson kept the ebb and flow of music and emotions moving along.

The poppies pinned to the green jackets of the ladies was a visual reminder of the fields of Flanders before they were muddied by war.

In the music and words we were enabled ‘at the going down of the sun’ … to remember them.