SUMMER CONCERT
Saturday 28th June 2025
Summer Concert 2025 – A Story in Music
Commemorating 80 Years Since VE & VJ Day
Portsmouth Philharmonic Orchestra with Jennifer Parker-Lummis
The concert tells a story – not of one battle or one person, but of a shared experience. The music follows a path from the outbreak of war, through suffering and reflection, to resolution and remembrance.
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Act I – Into Battle, Through Loss
We begin with Mars from Gustav Holst’s The Planets. The cold, mechanical rhythm of war opens the concert without words. There's no glory here – only tension, movement, and a sense of something irreversible.
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From this harsh landscape, a single voice rises – the Casta Diva aria from Bellini’s Norma. In this moment, we step back from the frontline. A prayer is offered for peace. The music slows, softens, and reaches upward – a plea that war may not consume all.
The orchestral sweep of The Battle of Britain Suite brings us into the skies. Ron Goodwin’s music evokes the courage and intensity of 1940, with flying sequences, moments of suspense, and hard-won triumph. If Where Eagles Dare replaces it, the mood shifts to covert operations and silent bravery – both works capture different faces of conflict.
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From the air, we return to earth with Field of the Dead from Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky. A soprano walks through the battlefield, calling out to the fallen. The sorrow is heavy but not hopeless – this is remembrance, not despair.
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Intermission – A Pause in the Story
Here we pause. As those in wartime found moments of stillness, so do we. A time to reflect and breathe before the final chapter begins. Tea/Coffee and Soft Drinks will be available to purchase.
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Act II – Memory, Resolve, and Home
After the interval, we hear Requiem for a Soldier. This short, emotional piece – made famous in Band of Brothers – is both personal and universal. A single voice sings for all who were lost.
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The orchestral Band of Brothers Suite follows, expanding on themes of unity, sacrifice, and loyalty. It holds both mourning and pride, capturing how friendships formed under fire often lasted a lifetime.
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With Beethoven’s Eroica, we shift to scale and ambition. Originally written for Napoleon – and later stripped of his name – the first and final movements capture the complexity of heroism. It’s bold, conflicted, triumphant – like the 20th century itself.
We near the close with I Vow to Thee, My Country, set to Holst’s Jupiter theme. It’s more than patriotic. It’s personal – a promise, a memory, a quiet kind of strength.
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The National Anthem draws us to our feet – and then, if the mood allows, we’ll end with Land of Hope and Glory, Elgar’s great march. It’s not about victory in the loud sense, but in resilience. A recognition that through loss and trial, something held firm.
Tickets Prices
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Adults 15yrs+ - £15.00​
Juniors (5-15yrs) - £5.00
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Ticket and General Information
Depending on what you have bought, there will be One QR code for you to use, this will give you access to the event
The single QR code contains all the elements you have purchased. This QR code can be shared with others, allowing them to arrive at different times on the event date. Each scan admits one visitor (please be sure to give the correct number of visitors when arriving in a split group). Once all allocated scans have been used, the QR code becomes completed and no furthers scans (admission) available.
Please have the QR code ready for scanning whether printed out or on your phone; here please have it enlarged as big as possible to fit the screen
Please note that once purchased this is a non refundable experience.
Please note that booking fees are non-refundable.
Address
St Faiths Church, Victoria Square, Lee-on-the-Solent PO13 9NF
The concert is held inside.
For full Bookings Terms & Conditions together with all event information please visit the event website: www.montseratevents.co.uk
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To purchase tickets for the events you would like to attend please click on the 'Buy Tickets' for the event you would like to attend.
Prices include the VAT rate at 20% and are subject to a booking fee and our booking Terms & Conditions. ​