UK Parliament and German Bundestag Choirs to hold concert commemorating WW1 Armistice
14 September 2018
The UK Parliament and German Bundestag choirs will commemorate the centenary of the Armistice which ended the First World War, with a concert on Wednesday 31 October 2018. The two choirs will be accompanied by Southbank Sinfonia and will perform Mozart's well-known Mass in C Minor in the historic Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster.
The two choirs first sang together in Westminster Hall in 2014 at the start of the First World War centenary commemorations and again at the Bundestag in 2016. As was the case then, the choirs have chosen music and readings for their 2018 performance which are intended to be inspiring and uplifting.
The concert is aimed at demonstrating the friendship between the UK and Germany and recognising the contribution of the Commonwealth countries to the war.
Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons and Co-President of the UK Parliament Choir said:
“We are honoured to be holding this historic concert inside Westminster Hall. The First World War was felt across generations and borders, with no part of the UK or the Commonwealth untouched by the conflict. It is poignant that choirs from the UK Parliament and German Bundestag will join together to mark the centenary of the Armistice in this way.”
Lord Fowler, Speaker of the House of Lords and Co-President of the UK Parliament Choir said:
“In 2014, the UK Parliament and German Bundestag choirs held a landmark joint concert in Westminster Hall to commemorate the centenary of the First World War and this October, our two choirs will join together once again. It is with a deep respect for history and an admiration for the relationship between our two nations that we commemorate the centenary of the Armistice in a manner that pays tribute to Christmas 1914 when soldiers on both sides of the Great War sang carols together beside the trenches. This commemoration will honour and pay respect to those millions of lives so tragically lost on all sides.”
Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, President of the German Bundestag said:
“The joint concert by our parliamentary choirs in Westminster Hall sends an audible signal of harmony. This is easier to achieve musically than politically. 100 years ago, the prevailing sound was that of laments for the indescribable suffering wrought by a World War that devastated the entire continent. Happily, times have changed. Yet today still, in our Europe of many voices, it is never the shrill nationalistic tones that help us achieve our political goals. This moving concert in remembrance of the end of the Great War reminds us of that.”
Tickets to the choir concert can be purchased via Eventbrite. Clips from the concert will also be shared on the UK Parliament's Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages on 31 October 2018.
The concert is aimed at demonstrating the friendship between the UK and Germany and recognising the contribution of the Commonwealth countries to the war.
Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons and Co-President of the UK Parliament Choir said:
“We are honoured to be holding this historic concert inside Westminster Hall. The First World War was felt across generations and borders, with no part of the UK or the Commonwealth untouched by the conflict. It is poignant that choirs from the UK Parliament and German Bundestag will join together to mark the centenary of the Armistice in this way.”
Lord Fowler, Speaker of the House of Lords and Co-President of the UK Parliament Choir said:
“In 2014, the UK Parliament and German Bundestag choirs held a landmark joint concert in Westminster Hall to commemorate the centenary of the First World War and this October, our two choirs will join together once again. It is with a deep respect for history and an admiration for the relationship between our two nations that we commemorate the centenary of the Armistice in a manner that pays tribute to Christmas 1914 when soldiers on both sides of the Great War sang carols together beside the trenches. This commemoration will honour and pay respect to those millions of lives so tragically lost on all sides.”
Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, President of the German Bundestag said:
“The joint concert by our parliamentary choirs in Westminster Hall sends an audible signal of harmony. This is easier to achieve musically than politically. 100 years ago, the prevailing sound was that of laments for the indescribable suffering wrought by a World War that devastated the entire continent. Happily, times have changed. Yet today still, in our Europe of many voices, it is never the shrill nationalistic tones that help us achieve our political goals. This moving concert in remembrance of the end of the Great War reminds us of that.”
Tickets to the choir concert can be purchased via Eventbrite. Clips from the concert will also be shared on the UK Parliament's Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages on 31 October 2018.