Our gorgeous paean to music and reconciliation.
- George Frideric Handel, Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day
- Ralph Vaughan Williams, Serenade to Music
- Franz Joseph Haydn, Missa Sancti Nicolai (Mass of St. Nicholas)
2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, and up and down the country amateur orchestras and choirs prepared commemorative concerts. Vox also marked this anniversay, not by singing a war requiem or a medley of popular wartime songs, but by celebrating harmony across the ages. Drawing from the works of composers from Germany, Austria, and England, the 70-strong choir Vox Holloway explored the concept of universal harmony that formed the basis for making music for over two thousand years.
“We needed a way to commemorate World War I that also reflected the ethos of our choir, which is that music brings people together. So what better way to unite these two ideas than to sing some of the most beautiful music from Germany, Austria, and England that specifically celebrates harmony and humanity? As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, ‘music is the universal language of mankind’. And so, as a way of remembering conflict, we are celebrating the unifying power of music.” Justin Butcher
The choir was joined by a 20-piece baroque orchestra and acclaimed guest tenor soloist Simon Walton.
Vox Holloway 