Music is a way to express our gratitude for those that paid the sacrifice in war.

The Armed Man – A Mass for Peace

Each year on Anzac Day, New Zealanders (and Australians) mark the anniversary of the Gallipoli landings of 25 April 1915. On that day, thousands of young men, far from their homes, stormed the beaches on the Gallipoli Peninsula in what is now Turkey.

Key dates

25 April 1915: Gallipoli landings

8 May: NZ troops take part in Second Battle of Krithia

8 August: NZ troops capture Chunuk Bair

15-20 December: Troops evacuated from Anzac area

For eight long months, New Zealand troops, alongside those from Australia, Great Britain and Ireland, France, India, and Newfoundland battled harsh conditions and Ottoman forces desperately fighting to protect their homeland.

By the time the campaign ended, more than 130,000 men had died: at least 87,000 Ottoman soldiers and 44,000 Allied soldiers, including more than 8700 Australians. Among the dead were 2,779 New Zealanders, about a fifth of all those who had landed on the peninsula.

In the wider story of the First World War, the Gallipoli campaign made no large mark. The number of dead, although horrific, pales in comparison with the death toll in France and Belgium during the war. However, for New Zealand, along with Australia and Turkey, the Gallipoli campaign is often claimed to have played an important part in fostering a sense of national identity.

Two of New Zealand’s most long-standing community groups, the Upper Hutt Brass Band and the Hutt Valley Singers, with guests the Wainuiomata Choir, will be taking the stage at Expressions on 26 April to perform this popular and powerful work by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins.

A concert to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Anzac Day. The Armed Man takes us through the stages of war from the army’s entrance, preparation, the inevitable war, the acknowledgement that one death is one too many through to the healing and desire for peace. A strong, beautiful and poignant piece of work that will set the stage of remembrance for our soldiers past and present.

With over 100 performers on stage including 70 voices in the choir and augmented brass band, the performance will be directed by Clynton Payne, Musical Director for the Brass Band, who has also arranged the orchestra setting for the band.  About this work Clynton says ‘Since first hearing this Mass performed shortly after its premiere I was completely captivated by it.  It has been one of my favourite contemporary works for years and I have always wanted to perform it.  The individual movements that this work comprises are all beautiful in their own right, but to perform the entire mass as a whole is something very special.

 The Armed Man has established itself as the most frequently programmed new work for choir and orchestra of recent decades, with over 1200 performances to date since its premiere in 2000, equating to an average of 100 per year.

Performances will be at Expressions, Upper Hutt, New Zealand  3pm and 7pm on Sunday 26^th April 2015. Adults $20, Unwaged/Student $15 and Children $10. Tickets can be bought at Expressions or visit their website http://www.expressions.org.nz

My job as rehearsal pianist is almost done, I am deciding if I will sing (2nd sop) or join the audience to listen to this beautiful work.