This is London November 2026 - Flipbook - Page 18
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nations, peace and
goodwill to all.
Too young for active
combat at the Front,
Gerald Finzi was deeply
affected by the death of
close family and friends.
The secular Requiem
Da Camera is an
exquisite example of the
composer’s gift for wordsetting: using texts by
Thomas Hardy, John
Masefield and W W
Gibson, Finzi creates an
evocative, heart-breaking
lament for lost youth,
and for the centuries-old
pattern of rural life,
irreversibly changed by
City of London Choir.
Photo: Sim Canetty-Clarke the havoc of war.
Stepping back from the
war theme, Judith Weir’s
CITY OF LONDON CHOIR IN TWO
POIGNANT 20TH-CENTURY BRITISH elegant O Sweet Spontaneous Earth
contemplates the beauty of our planet.
WAR REQUIEMS
Poems by E E Cummings, William
Wednesday 11 November is
Remembrance Day, commemorating the Carlos Williams and Emily Dickinson
reflect on the earth today: our place in it
end of the First World War in 1918 and
and what lies above – and beyond.
all who have died in combat and the
Choir and orchestra will be joined by
pursuit of peace. A special concert in
outstanding soloists Gareth Brynmor
Chelsea’s Cadogan Hall (19.30) marks
John (baritone) and Hilary Cronin
the occasion with a programme of
(soprano) for this timeless and affecting
exceptional British music.
Daniel Hyde (conductor of the world- programme.
Telephone the Cadogan Hall Box
famous choir of King’s College,
Office for tickets: 020 7730 4500.
Cambridge) directs the City of London
Choir and Britten Sinfonia in poignant
20th-century war requiems by Vaughan
Williams and Finzi, and a stunning
contemporary piece by Judith Weir
(Master of the King’s Music 2014-2024).
Dona Nobis Pacem is Ralph Vaughan
Williams’ heartfelt response to his own
experience as a stretcher-bearer in the
First World War. Writing in 1936, in the
shadow of a looming second global
conflict, Vaughan Williams sets words
by Walt Whitman and from the Bible to
potent dramatic effect, decrying the
cruelty of war, while using his gift for
melody and harmony to create an
eloquent call for harmony among
ANNE BOLEYN: THE MUSICAL
Following its acclaimed world
premiere at Hever Castle (pictured) in
summer 2025, Anne Boleyn: The
Musical will come to London in 2027,
playing at the Old Royal Naval College,
Greenwich, from 8 May – 5 June.
The spectacular open-air production
will be staged in the historic grounds of
the Old Royal Naval College, on the site
of the former Palace of Placentia, where
Anne Boleyn's story became intertwined
with that of Henry VIII and the Tudor
court. Bringing the musical to Greenwich
provides another remarkable historic
setting for a production that received its
world premiere at Hever Castle, Anne's
childhood home.
Audiences will experience the
production in a fully covered outdoor
auditorium, with the historic buildings of
Greenwich providing an atmospheric
backdrop. Combining immersive audio,
live horses, elaborate period costumes
and a soaring original score, the
production promises to bring Anne's
story to life on an epic scale, with all the
atmosphere of open-air theatre in a
weather-protected setting.
Anne Boleyn: The Musical explores
Anne's transformation from an
ambitious, intellectually curious young
woman to one of the most influential and
controversial figures in British history.
From her early years at the royal
courts of Europe to her return to England
and her rise to become Queen, the
musical tells the story of a woman
determined to shape her own destiny.
Brilliant, ambitious and ahead of her
time, Anne dared to imagine a world
shaped by reform, opportunity and
greater agency for women.
But in Tudor England, a woman with
ideas could be dangerous. Surrounded
by powerful men determined to control
her fate, Anne finds herself at the centre
of a devastating political betrayal, while
her relationship with Henry VIII sets in
motion events that would change the
course of English history forever.
Photo: Daniel Watson
T H I S I S L O N D O N M A G A Z I N E • T H I S I S L O N D O N O N L I N E • w w w. t i l . c o m • @ t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g
