Beyond the Horizon: Music of Remembrance and Hope
In this concert, three distinctive works come together through shared reflections on conflict and human endurance. Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes paints the psychological and environmental forces surrounding a storm-battered fishing village in his opera Peter Grimes, where nature itself seems complicit in the isolation and fear experienced by the protagonist. The sea becomes a force both majestic and menacing, mirroring the broader turmoil of a community gripped by brutal storms and suspicions.
Sergei Golovko’s Marimba Concerto, though born of a very different musical language, echoes this contrast of turbulence and tranquillity. A tribute to the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the rich traditions of Eastern Europe, the work is a musical homage to family, memory and the power of cultural identity. Across its three movements, Golovko traces a path from the legends of battle to the celebration of spring, crafting a poignant journey through suffering and renewal.
This journey culminates in One Before Zero by Chetham’s alumnus Benjamin Ellin. His searing oratorio captures the raw psychological reckoning of a soldier standing in the trenches moments before the command to attack. As he stares across no man’s land, time seems to freeze, and a world of doubt floods his mind as he questions not only who the enemy is, but what he himself has become. Sung in English, French and German, Ellin’s score draws on original texts and wartime propaganda to create a kaleidoscope of perspectives. It challenges us to see war as a mirror, reflecting both our capacity for violence and, perhaps more urgently, our potential for empathy.
Like a soldier peering over the parapet or a villager watching the sea for signs of storm or calm, these three works compel us to look beyond the immediate, towards a horizon shadowed by fear yet lit by hope for a brighter future.
