London Mozart Players

Nicholas Chalmers conductor

Simon Blendis director/violin

Choirs and young players from:

Trinity School

Whitgift School

Old Palace School

London Mozart Players and young musicians from Croydon’s Whitgift Foundation Schools present Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man, a compelling and timely account of the consequences of war.

The Armed Man is one of the nation’s best-loved contemporary works. A choral tour de force, this evocative work is inspired by texts from a variety of Eastern and Western sources, including the Muslim call to prayer, the medieval tradition of the ‘l’homme armé’ and the Mahabharata, among others, intertwined with the traditional Latin mass. From the menacing air of the Sanctus to the beautiful cello solo of the Benedictus, The Armed Man ranges from the heat of battle to the poignant reflection that peace is always better than war.

In Vaughan Williams’ 150th anniversary year, LMP performs his beloved work The Lark Ascending. Suffused with melodies that evoke the English countryside, the work was first performed in 1921, and is perhaps a lament for a generation lost in the First World War. Also on the programme is the delightful Simple Symphony by life-long pacifist Benjamin Britten.

At a time when war is in the headlines, this concert brings together young people from the Whitgift Foundation Schools who will join Croydon’s resident orchestra, the London Mozart Players, under the baton of Nicholas Chalmers, to perform these emotionally charged works in Croydon’s iconic concert hall.