The Gwent Schools Music Service delivered this amazing project. Conductor and visionary Peter James commissioned composer Chris Petrie to make an enormous choral work, and he asked me to write the words.
This is Our Land had four movements, and the theme was our land of Wales, expressed through the four elements, The first two movements, Earth and Water were performed in the first half of the concert, and the third and fourth movements, Air and Fire were performed in the second half.
As well as the massed Gwent choirs, there were African Drummers, Alto Saxophones, Baritones, Trombones, French Horns, Cellos, Celtic Band, Clarinets, Cornets, Double Basses, Euphoniums, Flutes, Harps, Percussion, Tenor Saxophones, Soprano Saxophones, Tenor Horn, Timpani, Trumpets, RAH Organ and a Great Hammer !
It was an amazing musical and visual spectacle which used all the Royal Albert Hall including the grand tier boxes, aisles and all the brass playing from the gallery in the last movement.I sat and marvelled at the spectacle and the incredible boldness of Chris Petrie's vision, and I thought of the first steps of the project, when I wrote a few words, phrases, ideas in my notebook, and the words began to grow from there. And I got to hear it again on 4th July! At St David's Hall in Cardiff, at the Gwent Music Summer Showcase Concert. Fantastic.
The New London Children's Choir sang Chris's setting of my poem 'Jack Frost' at their 2011 Christmas Concert. There are more winter songs planned.
