St. David's Hall 7.30 pm Friday 19th October 2018

Composers of the First World War: A Commemoration 

Michael Bell MBE – Conductor

Ros Evans - Soprano

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War the CPO presents a concert of works by composers who served in that war, the horror of which still reverberates across the years. 

George Butterworth was killed in the Battle of the Somme on August 5 1916. On Banks of Green Willow is one of his very few works, and is a wistful and poignant piece. 

Ralph Vaughan Williams volunteered for the army and served throughout the war. His Fifth Symphony – actually written during the Second World War – is described as the most beautiful and moving symphony by a British composer.  

Cardiff-born Ivor Novello wrote his much-loved songs Keep the Home Fires Burning and We’ll Gather Lilacs  during the First and Second World Wars respectively. 

‘Tunes from the Trenches’ is a selection of popular and patriotic songs sung by the British and American troops in the trenches. Goodbye, Dolly Gray, When This Lousy War is Over and There's No Place Like Home are balanced by Land of Hope and Glory before the Americans arrive with The Caissons Go Rolling Along, Over There (Go Compare) and It's a Long Way to Tipperary. We’ll be inviting our audience to sing along in tribute to the bravery and fortitude of the troops. 

Sir Arthur Bliss fought and was injured in the Battle of the Somme and was mentioned in despatches.  Based on the book by H.G. Wells, Things to Come tells of how the world is destroyed by war, and how a new world is built from the ashes of the old. It is Bliss' most spectacular and stirring score.

Future Concerts

Blackwood Miners' Institute 7.30 pm Friday 30th November 2018 and

St. David's Hall 7.30 pm Friday 7th December 2018 - A Night at the Movies 2018

St. David's Hall 7.30 pm Friday 22nd March 2019 - A Night at the Proms

St. David's Hall 7.30 pm Saturday 29th June 2019 - Beethoven and Shostakovich: The 

Power of Music