Karl Jenkins Mass for Peace: The Armed Man. Saturday April 16th p.m. St Paul s Church, Ramsey

Transcription

1 Ramsey Choral presents Karl Jenkins Mass for Peace: The Armed Man Saturday April 16th p.m. St Paul s Church, Ramsey retiring collection refreshments

2 Ramsey Choral Director of Music Chairman Christa McCartney Peter Cannell Our thanks to the Vicar and Churchwardens of St Paul s Thanks also to the Minister and Elders of Trinity URC for our rehearsal space Special thanks to Rev. David Greenwood, our accompanist. Ramsey Choral gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Isle of Man Arts Council. Thanks to a grant from them we were able to hire full scores for the musicians.

3 Ramsey Choral presents Karl Jenkins Mass for Peace: The Armed Man Musical director Christa McCartney with Emily Coates - soprano Mandy Griffin - alto Nicholas J. Roberts - tenor Geoff Collier - bass Claire Creer - flute Jane Creer - percussion David Greenwood - organ Robert Quane & Graham Osbourne - trumpet Janet Warburton - cello and El-Rasheed Abdalla - muezzin -3-

4 M.A. (Music Education), B.A.Hons, AmusTCL, DipABRSM. Took over as Musical Director of the Ramsey Choral in 2010 shortly after returning to the Island following her Choral Conducting studies under Professor Peter Erdel at the Kodály Institute/Liszt Academy in Hungary, where she also gained an M.A. in Kodály Musicianship Teaching. Holds diplomas in voice, piano and composition and is the Island s only fully qualified Kodály teacher. She now teaches musicianship on the Island at many levels from preschool to adult. is currently studying Music and Drama at the University of Manchester. This is her second performance with Ramsey Choral, after singing the soprano solo in John Rutter s beautiful at last year s spring concert.. She is delighted to be back singing this exciting piece in her home town, and is particularly thrilled to be alongside her former singing teacher Mandy Griffin. is having a busy year musically, on and off the Island, ranging from panto to Mozart and Vivaldi, via Britten and William Walton! She would like to dedicate this performance to his Honour Deemster Kerruish, who passed away last July. It was a privilege to work as one of his clerks for five years - he was an inspiration to her singing, and is a fitting tribute. came to the Isle of Man in 1992 and is known for both performances and pedagogic research. His education was completed at Aberystwyth University and since then he has furthered his education in the area of Special Education and Composition. As well as being a singer and vocal coach he plays various keyboard instruments. Recordings of his composition work are available on ITunes. has performed with Ramsey Choral on several previous occasions. Since moving to the Island in 1998 he has relished performing at the Gaiety as a principal in Gilbert and Sullivan productions. He enjoys performing in concert, both as a soloist and with local chorales and. Geoff is a member of Trinity Methodist Church choir in Douglas and is training to become a Methodist Local Preacher

5 Mass for Peace - the Armed Man Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace Karl Jenkins Mass for Peace, was commissioned by the Royal Armouries to mark the millennium year in 2000 and was dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo crisis. An account of the descent into war and the terrible consequences, it follows tradition in using the mediaeval song as the foundation for a work based on the Christian liturgy of the Mass that also draws on very different sources. The first casualty of war is not truth, despite the cliché. It is people. People who are convinced that the enemy is out there and threatening, and who discover that from that point of view they themselves are the enemy. Not only people - destruction comes to all living things and animals and plants too are annihilated, as the brief but telling Torches remind us. The text for Torches is from the ancient Indian epic in which brave warriors find themselves fighting people just like them - members of the same family, indeed - to the destruction of anything resembling normal life. Eleven years after was completed we are all too aware of the consequences of war. That is largely why Ramsey Choral is dedicating this presentation to Help for Heroes. Those who are most acutely suffering the consequences of war need compassion and kindness just as acutely. We are still, perhaps, hoping for the thousand years of peace. urges us never to abandon that hope. -5-

6 L homme armé doit on douter. On a fait partout crier que chacun se viegne armer d un haubregon de fer. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar Ash hadu an la ilaha illa Allah Ash hadu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allah Hayya ala-s-salah Hayya ala-l Falah Allahu Akbar La ilaha illa Allah -6-

7 Kyrie, eleison; Christe, eleison; Kyrie, eleison Be merciful unto me, O God, for man would swallow me up. He fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me. O thou most high. Defend me from them that rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men. -7-

8 . Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis. The earth is full of anger, the seas are dark with wrath, The Nations in their harness go up against our path; Ere yet we loose the legions - ere yet we draw the blade, Jehovah of the Thunders, Lord God of Battles, aid! High lust and froward bearing, proud heart, rebellious brow - Dead ear and soul uncaring, we see thy mercy now! The sinner that forswore Thee, the fool that passed Thee by, Our times are known before Thee - Lord, grant us strength to die! -8-

9 The trumpet s loud clangour excites us to arms with shrill notes of anger and mortal alarms. The double, double beat of the thundering drum cries hark! The foes come. Charge, tis too late to retreat... Pushing up through smoke from a world half darkened by overhanging cloud - the shroud that mushroomed out and struck the dome of the sky Black, Red, Blue - dance in the air, merge, scatter glittering sparks, already tower over the whole city. Quivering like seaweed, the mass of flames spurts forward. Popping up in the dense smoke, crawling out wreathed in fire: countless human beings on all fours. In a heap of embers that erupt and subside, hair rent, rigid in death, there smoulders a curse. -9-

10 The animals scattered in all directions, screaming terrible screams. Many were burning, others were burnt. All were shattered and scattered mindlessly, their eyes bulging. Some hugged their sons, others their fathers and mothers, unable to let them go, and so they died. Others leapt up in their thousands, faces disfigured and were consumed by the fire. Everywhere were bodies squirming on the ground, wings eyes and paws all burning. They breathed their last as living torches. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis; Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis; Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem. -10-

11 Silent, So silent, now, Now the guns have stopped. I have survived all, I, who knew I would not. But now you are not here. I shall go home alone; And must try to live life as before, And hide my grief For you, my dearest friend, Who should be with me now, Not cold, too soon, And in your grave, Alone. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis. -11-

12 Better is peace than always war And better is peace than evermore war. Ring out the thousand wars of old. Ring in the thousand years of peace. Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow. The year is going, let him go; -12-

13 Ring out old shapes and foul disease; Ring out the narrowing lust of gold; Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace. Ring in the valiant man and free, The larger heart, the kindlier hand; Ring out the darkness of the land; Ring in the Christ that is to be. God shall wipe away all tears And there shall be no more death Neither sorrow nor crying Neither shall there be any more pain. Praise the Lord. Thank you for joining us this evening. There will be a retiring collection. Please join us now for refreshments in St Paul s Church Hall -13-

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15 Ramsey Choral Christmas Concert will be on Saturday 16th December 2011 at St Paul s Church Rehearsals will begin on Monday 10th September 2011 in the hall at Trinity United Reformed Church, Waterloo Road, Ramsey. Rehearsals begin at 7.15 p.m. You are very welcome to join us. dc4ramseychoralapril2011

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