THE 02 Guildhall Southampton hosted a spectacular Hampshire Festival of Remembrance last night to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.
A band of the south’s top military musicians took to the stage along with a chorus of 100 voices from Southampton Philharmonic Choir and the Southampton University Philharmonc Choir, all under the baton of Captain Tony Adams, director of music at Tidworth. The Corps of Drums of The Yorkshire Regiment also performed.
The evening was presented by Saints legend Matt Le Tissier and aimed at raising both money and awareness for the Royal British Legion.
The evening’s programme of music included Behind the Lines, a work composed by Rifleman Cecil Coles, who was killed in 1918 by a German sniper.
Other music included Mars from Holst’s Planets Suite; Hymn to the Fallen from John Willliams’ soundtrack to Saving Private Ryan; a choir and band setting of the tune Nimrod from Elgar’s Enigma Variations and The Last Night of the World from the hit musical, Miss Saigon.
The crowning moment of the event was a poignant two-minute silence as poppies fell gently from the ceiling on to the performers.
Matt Le Tissier said: “I don’t have any musical talent so it’s great for me to be able to watch people who have.”
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