News Entry

The mood in East Yorkshire at the end of the First Word War will feature in the last of a series of three anniversary concerts by the HPO.

1918: Endgame:  Armistice and Aftermath, at 7.00pm on Saturday 24 November at Hull City Hall, will bring the experiences of local people to life in a special narration of personal accounts brought to life by playwrights John and Jane Godber.

The pre-recorded stories will be played alongside dramatic images on a screen as part of a musical concert that focuses on pieces reflecting the period, including a centenary performance of the hugely popular work The Planets by Gustav Holst.

Musical Director Andrew Penny says ‘While there have been a number of concerts to mark the 100th anniversary of the First World War, we are the only orchestra to commemorate the anniversary at different stages over the time the war progressed. This is our final concert in the series and telling the stories of people left behind in Hull waiting to see if their loved ones returned will add a special poignancy to the occasion.’

Also being played is part of the rarely-played Vaughan Williams 3rd Symphony, The Pastoral, in which a backstage trumpet solo is played, insired by a bugler the composer heard while working as an ambulance driver on the battlefields of France in 1916.

The women’s voice of Beverley Chamber Choir will join the orchestra for Neptune the Mystic, the final movement of The Planets. The full choir will also sing in a performance of Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music alongside four young soloists, the New York Consort.

Image: From left, Diane McDermid, Christine Brady and Catherine Ackroyd of Hull Philharmonic Orchestra in front of the tribute to John Jack Harrison