You are now able to watch again, share and remember the very special concert that took place on Sunday 4th November 2018 at Theatre Severn Shrewsbury to commemorate the life, work and death of Wilfred Owen and the centenary of the First World War.

The Pity of War Concert DVD is now available to purchase.  The DVD consists of the first half of the concert featuring the Bookfest Remembers Choir, singers and musicians – made up of children from Shrewsbury School, Shrewsbury Sixth Form College, Shrewsbury High School, Shropshire Girls’ Choir, Moreton Hall School, Packwood Haugh School and Prestfelde School – together with The Band & Bugles of the Shropshire Army Cadet Force.  Conductor:  Caz Besterman.

DVD’s are £10.00 each, including postage & packing.

To order the DVD, simply download the order form here.

With grateful thanks to Charles & Heather Denscombe at MicroVideo.

“The Bookfest Choir, conducted by Caz Besterman, opened the evening, together with the band and bugles of the Shropshire Army Cadet Force. The Choir, formed from several school choirs from across the county, were superb. “Anthem for doomed youth” and “The parable of the old man and the young”, two of Owen’s finest works, received exemplary performances. Ms. Besterman’s settings caught the essence of the poems perfectly and John Moore at the piano was a sympathetic accompanist. The melancholy mood was heightened by some fine cello and violin playing, emphasising the conductor-composer’s skill in writing for a large, talented and tightly disciplined youthful choir. There were also several solo performances by young instrumentalists and some beautiful singing of music dating from the early twentieth century as well as readings of “Strange Meeting” and prose writings by Wilfred Owen. The choice of “Tribute to the Fallen” by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was inspired; the words are deeply moving and were performed beautifully.

The first half concluded with the last post – the audience rose to their feet and stood for the two minutes silence while red petals drifted and tumbled onto the silent choristers below.”

Review by Andrew Petch

DVD Programme:

Conductor:  Caz Besterman

Accompanists:  Antony Pinel, Maureen Powell Davies and John Moore

Reading: The draft Preface, read by the Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet CSM Chloe Edwards

The Band & Bugles directed by Sergeant Instructor Yvonne Furber The Governor’s Guard, Little Bugler, British Grenadiers, Over the Hills, Soldier Boy, Retreat.

Reading: To my Brother by Vera Brittain, read by Cadet Sgt Jody Purcell

Vocal Solo: Perhaps by Vera Brittain (music by Caz Besterman), sung by Olivia Moir

Choir: Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen (music by Caz Besterman)

Clarinet Solo: Romance by Edward German, played by Alice Pearson

Reading: Futility by Wilfred Owen, read by Cadet Cpl Jack Burke

Vocal Solo: The Poet as Hero by Siegfried Sassoon (music by Caz Besterman), sung by Dominic Sullivan

Choir: In Flanders Fields by John McCrae (music by Caz Besterman)

Violin Solo: Chanson de Matin by Sir Edward Elgar, played by Rosie Lambert

Vocal Solo: Roses of Picardy (words by F.E. Weatherly, music by H. Wood), sung by Saffron Milner

Choir: The Parable of the Old Man and the Young by Wilfred Owen (music by Caz Besterman)

Vocal Solo: The End by Wilfred Owen (music by Caz Besterman), sung by Ben Lloyd

Choir: Tribute to the Fallen (words by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, music by Caz Besterman)

Reading: Strange Meeting by Wilfred Owen, read by Cadet Cpl Dan Edwards

Buglers: The Last Post, played by Sergeant Instructor Yvonne Furber and Lance Cpl Dixon