Wadhurst Culture Presents

Wadhurst Culture presents On Sussex Soil a concert of music, old and new, to mark the centenary of the battle of Aubers Ridge where 25 young men from Wadhurst lost their lives.

St Peter & St Paul's Church, Wadhurst, 2nd May 2015

The Field Choir, Bernardi String Quartet, Wadhurst Brass Band, Wadhurst Bell Ringers, Robert Fuller conductor - Howard Moody

Field Song 3 - War Helen Ottaway Field Choir

Aubers Ridge, A Concert March1 S W Fifield Wadhurst Brass Band To the men of The Royal Sussex Regiment

The Lark Ascending2 Ralph Vaughan Williams Andrew Bernardi (violin) / Howard Moody (organ)

Cuckoo traditional Field Choir (children)

Field Song 1 – Father Helen Ottaway Field Choir / strings / cornet / hand bells

Field Song 2 – Soldier Helen Ottaway Field Choir / strings /cornet / flugelhorn / euphonium

Alla Marcia John Ireland (1911) Robert Fuller (organ)

Field Song 3 – War – reprise Helen Ottaway Field Choir / strings / brass

INTERVAL (20 minutes)

Eventide variations on Abide with Me arr. W Rimmer Wadhurst Brass Band

Green Bushes traditional Field Choir (adults)

Cavatina John Ireland (1904) Bernardi String Quartet

Songs from the Great War arr. Bruce Fraser Wadhurst Brass Band Unto The Hills3 Michael Tippett (1958) Field Choir / strings

A Field in May1 Helen Ottaway Field Choir / strings / brass / hand 1. Birdsong and bugles bells / tower bells / found sounds / 2. In Memoriam wind-up gramophone 3. Fragmentary Prelude

1 World Premiere 2 The Lark Ascending, containing folk tunes collected in Sussex, was completed by Vaughan Williams at the outbreak of WWI 3 Tippett wrote the tune ‘Wadhurst’ in 1958 whilst living at nearby Tidebrook Manor. The local band traditionally ended up at his house after playing carols around the village at Christmas. He always made them welcome and once the leader of the band (also the fishmonger) asked him to write them a tune. The result was ‘Wadhurst’, used for the hymn ‘Unto the Hills’ (words by John Campbell). This may be the first time this has been sung in Wadhurst Church.