WHAT an amazing evening! Local composer Emily Feldberg had taken words from many sources, both British and German, and set them to music to commemorate the centenary of the ending of World War One.

Singers and orchestral players from all over West Somerset had come together to give a performance of her new work, ‘Fragments’, which will be long remembered.

The first half of the programme, performed in The Avenue Methodist Church on November 10, was given by the Minehead Male Voice Choir, under its director, Jackie Butterworth, followed by the Minehead Street Choir, which is led by Nigel Neill, with his guitar, all singing songs with connections, sometimes very tenuous, with the war.

The Male Voice Choir sings from memory, and the energy and commitment was notable, especially in the rousing performance of Stout-Hearted Men, which began the evening, and World in Union, based on Gustav Holst’s hymn I Vow to Thee my Country, which ended the choir’s contribution.

The street choir is open to everyone interested in singing in a social setting. Several songs were well known to the audience, such as Tipperary and Goodbye-ee – what a pity we couldn’t join in! They were obviously having such fun.

But the highlight of the evening came after the interval. Emily’s new piece, Fragments, is a fascinating and tuneful work for baritone, choir and orchestra, together with soloists from the choir, and speakers.

Nigel Perrin conducted the Fragments Choir, made up of singers from our area, who had devoted many hours to learning the work, the Fragments Orchestra, led by Mary Eade, and the baritone Jamie Rock, an old friend who has appeared here many times.

In her programme note, Emily says: “What struck me in researching these texts was the similarity of the emotions felt by the British and German people, whether of grief, honour, bravery, humour, fear, cynicism or joy.”

She illustrated this in her music very poignantly, and we were left, on this anniversary weekend, with feelings of sadness and horror at the waste of lives.

This piece is a remarkable accomplishment, both emotionally and technically. The music is accessible to everyone, and melodically and harmonically interesting, and the words often poignant.

There are three spoken interludes, which gave us the statistics and the progress of the war, and emphasised the waste and tragedy. They were admirably read by Jane Jones, Chris Lawson and Richard Hatton.

The musical sections range from the start of the war, It Will All Be Over By Christmas, to a ‘Canary Girl’ delighting in the money she was earning and what she could do with it – “Five quid a week!” – even though she knew she could be blown up, and three Tommies in the trenches sure that ‘Notts County Can Beat Aston Villa’.

The male voice and street choirs each sang a verse here, to great effect. Emily uses repetition of key words to emphasise points – the movement called Lament was sung three times at different places, repeating ‘Schmerz!’ (pain) over and over. Jamie Rock sang ‘Lament’ the second time as a solo. As always, his voice was strong and melodious, with every word audible, and his commitment evident, even more so in the solo ‘Vale’.

Nigel Perrin’s experience and professionalism – he is a renowned conductor and was, of course, one of the original King’s Singers –enabled him to draw the whole performance together. Our pleasure in the evening was enhanced by the way the chorus responded to him, obviously enjoying the lighter moments, whilst rising to the challenge of the darker ones.

Fragments starts and ends with the words “Lest We Forget”. The slow and solemn final movement reflects the suffering of war, and remembers those killed. The repetition of the words “Lest We Forget:, sung by the soloist and dying away to nothing at the end, was intensely moving.

The work was greeted by a rapturous standing ovation – well deserved.

JML