A Flowers of War
concert
Directed by
Christopher Latham
Llewellyn Hall 6
October 2018
Reviewed by Len Power
Standing ovations have become boringly routine at live
performances these days but ‘The Diggers’ Requiem’ at Llewellyn Hall fully deserved
the standing ovation it received from an appreciative full house at the end of
a thrilling evening of fine music.
This was the last in the series of Flowers of War concerts,
a four year project by Christopher Latham which highlighted the work of
composers and artists who died in, or as a result of, World War One. The concerts sought to reinvigorate our
desire for peace by commemorating the terrible losses in that war. ‘The Diggers’ Requiem’ marked the war’s end
by honouring the sacrifices made on all sides and symbolises the continuing
partnership between France, Germany and Australia towards building a peaceful
world.
Co-commissioned by the Australian War Memorial and the
Department of Veterans’ Affairs and supported by the Australian Defence Force, this
huge undertaking included works by living composers Elena Kats-Chernin, Nigel
Westlake, Graeme Koehne, Richard Mills, Andrew Schultz and Ross Edwards as well
as music by George Frideric Handel and Frederick Septimus Kelly, an Australian
composer who sadly was killed in The Great War.
 |
| Christopher Latham conducting the company |
The large Australian War Memorial Orchestra and Choir with
invited musicians from the Band of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, were
joined by soloists Simone Riksman, soprano, Christina Wilson, mezzo-soprano,
Andrew Goodwin, tenor and David Hidden, baritone. Instrumental soloists included Paul
Goodchild, trumpet, David Novak, accordion, Timothy Young, piano and Jordan
Aikin, bagpipes. The director of the
concert, Christopher Latham, was the conductor of this massive and memorable
concert.
There was powerful and precise playing by the orchestra in
the many highly dramatic works, fine singing by the soloists and the choir and
especially fine solos by trumpeter, Paul Goodchild, and Jordan Aikin on
bagpipes.
 |
| Jordan Aikin on bagpipes |
This thrilling concert was made even more memorable by the
opportunity to see the living composers of the music take a bow with the
performers at the end.
Photos by Peter Hislop
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast in his ‘On Stage’ performing arts radio program on Mondays and
Wednesdays from 3.30pm on Artsound FM 92.7.
