Life’s Journey
with Castle Primary School and Southern Pro Musica.
Conductor: David Gostick
The Traveller by Alec Roth is an oratorio for solo tenor, solo violin, choir, children’s choir and an orchestra. Vikram Seth wrote the six new poems for this piece. Taking as its theme the Ages of Man, the work is divided into six main sections: Unborn – Child – Youth – Adult – Old – Dead, followed by a short epilogue. In this universal tale of Man’s journey through life, the role of The Traveller is taken by the solo violin, The Companions by the Choir and The Poet by the tenor soloist.
St Nicolas by Benjamin Britten was commissioned to celebrate the centenary of Lancing College, Sussex. Its first official performance took place at the College in July, 1948, Britten himself conducted the performance, with the part of Nicolas sung by his partner, Peter Pears, a former pupil of Lancing College. The piece is scored for chorus, treble soloists, tenor solo, piano duet, organ, percussion and strings, with a libretto by Eric Crozier. The cantata tells the story of the life and achievements – some real but mostly legendary – of Nicolas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra, in Asia Minor