October 11 – Season Finale: Peace not War Stoke at Newington Town Hall
We take over the iconic venue of the Town Hall for the first time in our own right, with a very special event. In this concert, we focus on peace and the celebration of life rather than war and death, as many others have already marked the centenary of the start of World War I.
Another significant date this year is the 25th anniversary of the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. Those old enough to have seen the news coverage will never forget the images of divided families finally able to hug each other, and East and West Germans united in tearing the Wall down brick by brick. We’ll be performing Beethoven’s Ode to Joy from the 9th Symphony, because Bernstein conducted it in Berlin on Christmas Day 1989 as part of the worldwide celebrations. It was the first time for many years that East and West German, Russian, British and Jewish musicians had the opportunity to make music together. At that concert the choir sang ‘Freiheit’ (Freedom) instead of ‘Freude’ (Joy), and we will do the same.
In that spirit we will be also bringing together singers from other local choirs and, as always, performing with our very own professional orchestra, the amazing Elastic Band.