Remembrance Day concerts are held every year during the month of November to commemorate the sacrifices all members of the armed forces made worldwide in times of war.
Leading up to Remembrance Day, two state-of-the-art bands will perform concerts of internationally acclaimed music that brings out the chaos of war as well as the poignancy, compassion and joy.
The Royal Canadian Artillery Band, led by Capt. Patrice Arsenault, returns to Edmonton City Hall on Nov. 8 for a free public concert. The one-hour Tribute to Our Veterans begins at 2 p.m.
Later in the evening, the Cosmopolitan Music Society takes the stage at the Winspear Centre with their traditional Lest We Forget: A Musical Tribute concert that starts at 7:30 p.m.
For the military, Remembrance Day is a deeply moving time they are eager to share with the public.
Back in September the RCA Band started the Canadian Military Wives Choir, a new initiative that debuts at the Sunday concert.
“We’re very excited about it. There are about half a dozen women and they’ll be singing Oscar Peterson’s Hymn to Freedom. It’s very nice to have a Canadian composer’s song match what Canadian peacekeepers are doing,” said Arsenault.
This year the unit of 35 professional musicians recognizes the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, considered the first major campaign fought entirely by air forces.
The army corps receives a nod through The Great Little Army and the traditional Heart of Oak is played for the navy. The air force welcomes a salute from March of the 663 Squadron along with a reading of the Airman’s Prayer.
The Pipes and Drum Band, a smaller offshoot of the RCA Band, plays a succession of three Gaelic works from the Great Boer War.
Although the occasion is one of solemnity, Arsenault added a rendering of the war movie score A Bridge Too Far.
“This is one piece that is more upbeat. I find it’s one of the better marches written for a movie score.”
Adding a bit of light spice are special guests, The Sugar Swing Dancers, an Edmonton young troupe versed in jazzy wartime dances.
At the closing, Arsenault includes the touching I’m Dreaming of Home, a gentle soldier’s lament.
“It’s a peaceful and quiet type of song. It’s about the soldiers in trenches missing their families.”
In the evening, Cosmopolitan Music Society continues their 25-year long Remembrance Day tradition with a cocktail of music that includes everything from ceremonial marches to popular wartime tunes.
Leading Lest We Forget is Cosmo’s music director Taina Lorenz along with special guest conductors Jamie Burns and St. Albert’s Rita Burns. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Band and Capt. Patrice are special guests.
This year, Cosmo pays homage to the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Ypres with Major John McCrae’s classic poem In Flanders Fields.
Following is Frank Ticheli’s masterpiece Angels in Architecture, a dramatic conflict between the two extremes of human existence – one divine, the other evil.
The evening closes with a bouquet to CMS’s loved ones who served in the Canadian and Allied forces over the years.
Tickets for the CMS concert are $25 and are available at 780-420-1757 or online at tixonthesquare.ca.
