In the centenary year of his death, the poet and writer Edward Thomas (1878-1917) is remembered in this very special concert. Choral and solo settings of poems by Edward Thomas and his friends, including Robert Frost, Walter de la Mare, WH Davies, Hillaire Belloc and Eleanor Farjeon, will be performed, as well as music mentioned in his writings, and poems by Thomas and his friends will be read by Piers Burton-Page. Settings by composers such as Peter Warlock, Ivor Gurney, Randall Thompson and Michael Hurd will be placed alongside music that Thomas loved, including traditional songs.
This concert, presented by Petersfield Musical Festival, is generously supported by Arts Council England, the RVW Trust and the South Downs National Park Authority.
During this concert, and throughout the 2017 Petersfield Musical Festival, there will be an exhibition of new photographs inspired by the life and work of Edward Thomas, by members of the Petersfield Photographic Society, as well as books and documents relating to Edward Thomas from the collections of Petersfield Museum and the National Edward Thomas archive in Cardiff.
The 2017 Petersfield Musical Festival runs from 17 to 25 March, with an exciting programme of concerts, and a wide range of performers and music - including choral, orchestral, solo instrumental, and jazz.
*Photograph of Edward Thomas at Steep, near Petersfield, 1913-14, by courtesy of the Edward Thomas Fellowship.