Banbury's new chamber choir will bring you a night to remember
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Everyone remembers Tavener's Athene at Princess Di's funeral, and it resonates today for every road traffic death still.
Barber's Agnus Dei is possibly best known as the soundtrack for the war film Platoon, so it captures the Remembrance theme for contemporary wars like no other. '24' is refreshing these beautiful pieces as we approach All Souls and Remembrance, but with a hopeful and novel approach. It is important to find the beauty in loss and especially lost love.
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Hide AdA unique evening will look at war from the perspectives of children, wives, mother, fathers and lovers. It will touch on the impact of civil war, Banbury being at the heart of much in the English civil wars, with a father's love for a son.


Purcell will also help us look at a country's loss of a queen a year on. Purcell's famous lament by Dido also takes us back to fateful unrequited loss, while three contemporary pieces show how women face mortal illness, how to cope and even celebrate what was loved and lost in the hardest of times. Abbie Betinis has given us special permission for her piece reflecting on overcoming illness, 'Behind the Clouds'.
Tackling Martin's Mass for double choir also shows the strength of this group, but the breadth of the music here will refresh and heal with it's sheer beauty.
In the superb sound-well of St Mary's, this will be an evening not to be missed.
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Hide AdDavid, their organiser added: 'It's a really positive message, to acknowledge the loss, the pain, and yet to focus on the beauty of what we had - how it enriched us. I sang for years at a special service held by the police for road traffic victims at the National Arboretum. It was always immensely moving.


"The cenotaphs and set pieces are important. It's important to take time for parents losing children, lovers losing soul mates, children and parents facing life's challenges. We're combining Remembrance with All Souls in effect. But with a refreshed and positive note too. As the Rosetti song conludes, it is better to have loved and lost...'
'24' will bring a renewed energy and focus to this superb repertoire, from Taveners Exhortation to Purcell's Funeral Sentences.
Doors open at St Mary's Church, Banbury, from 6.30pm on 28th October.
With 24 supplying all the refreshments, it's an evening not to be missed, but one to remember too.
Tickets available on the door and from Eventbrite via the website www.VQ24.fun in advance.