The Armed Man
RSA Choir
Knox Church
Friday, November 11
REVIEW BY ELIZABETH BOUMAN
The RSA Choir marked Armistice Day with a performance of The Armed Man, in Knox Church.
Directed by Karen Knudsen, the choir was supplemented by Knox Church Choir, Knox Junior Choristers, local soloists (Calla Knudsen, Lillian Gibbs, Kieran Kelly and Jesse Hanan) and accompanied by members of St Kilda Brass Saints (Ralph Miller), organ (David Burchell) and piano (Mark Wigglesworth).
The choir and the band presented several items in the first half of the programme, and the mass took up the second.
Some fine brass timbre brought out the lyricism in The Banks of Green Willow (Butterworth) and Royal Air Force March Past was definitely an invigorating patriotic opener.
Alwyn Humphreys’ arrangement of Whakaaria Mai (How Great Thou Art) featured soprano Emma McClean with the choir, followed by Gwahoddiad — both ideal numbers for this choir.
Welsh composer Karl Jenkins wrote The Armed Man, ‘‘Mass for Peace’’ in the year 2000, modelled on a traditional Catholic Mass.
The content moves from the beginning of war, through sorrow and pain to a hope for peace in the new millennium, with text from various sources, including the Bible, Islamic, several historical references and the traditional Last Post, Ode and Reveille (Ralph Miller — cornet).
Brass accompaniment and percussion played a big part in creating atmosphere and interpretation throughout, especially the opening The Armed Man and in Sanctus, where strict rhythm portrayed marching to war.
Commanding cornet fanfares introduced Charge.
Kyrie and Agnus Dei, both favourite sections in this popular contemporary work, achieved generally well-balanced harmony and satisfactory dynamic contrast.
The one-hour work ended on a note of hope with Better is Peace and God Shall Wipe Away All Tears.
The performance was an ideal way to mark Armistice Day, involving a variety of local musicians and reminding the large audience of historic wars of last century and the sacrifices made by our ancestors.
