For ten years, Birmingham Citadel Corps has been privileged to stage 'Carols for Christmas' at one of the world's great concert halls.
Birmingham's Symphony Hall, renowned for its acoustic perfection, was packed to the rafters
by a largely non-Army audience who came to sing their heads off and enjoy the
atmosphere of the whole event.
General John Gowans was once a schoolboy in these parts. Perhaps that might have influenced him to bring his wife Commissioner Gisele Gowans back to the Midlands for this great occasion. Anyway, we were delighted and proud to have them with us along with the Lord Mayor of Birmingham and other dignitaries including the Right Honourable Clare Short, cabinet minister and local MP. Some of the General's old school friends also turned up to join in the Christmas celebrations.
Our compere and Commanding Officer, Major Samuel Edgar, has that whimsical Irish sense of humour, which made him an instant communicator with the audience. And so this great event got underway.
Rhythmic beat of drums reminiscent of 'Riverdance' heralded the arrival of flag wavers and timbrelists to all parts of the building. Down came Bandmaster David Nicholson's baton and the band launched into 'Gaudate', a spell binding evocation of medieval folk song, which combined with flashing timbrels and waving flags, gave the audience an exuberant kaleidoscope of colour and rhythm. Everyone was now well tuned to voice 'O come all ye faithful'- Christmas had really started.
A feature of this festival was the introduction of multimedia in which cameras were able to focus lovely close-ups on unsuspecting participants. During the Singing Company's evening item, one young member was observed to be yawning - it had been a long day! Happily, the next shot showed him waving enthusiastically as the Singing Company sang their all action 'O magnify the Lord'. The primary children's 'Nativity' presentation also came under close camera scrutiny. One young shepherd was revealed dragging his lamb upside down and by its tail, while a wise man had to be held back as he somewhat prematurely moved forward to present his gift of gold to the baby Jesus. This item is invariably a 'star' attraction - the very stuff of Christmas.
Kayte Harding-Chestney, our special musical guest not only has a beautiful soprano voice, but a compelling presence which enabled her to instantly communicate with the audience in a piquant and rhythmic arrangement of 'O little town of Bethlehem'. This was followed by a thought provoking song titled 'Grown-up Christmas List' in which we were reminded that gifts such as lasting friendships and world peace and harmony are far more important than material presents.
Lydia Stone-Fewings and Lucy Lamplough are two youthful charmers. Their cello and flute duet arranged by Lucy's Dad revealed sensitive musicianship beyond their years. The pot pourri of international carols was sheer delight.
There followed an extravaganza under the title 'The twelve days of Christmas' in which an exotic looking goose laid a golden egg and the '4 calling birds' was represented by 4 teenage lads calling their girlfriends on mobile phones!! The Lords leapt and even the piper resplendent with bagpipes put in an appearance. The piece de resistance however was the entry of 'Thunderbirds', the young lads performing their puppet movements to perfection. Needless to say this item brought the house down.
All the musical sections provided hugely enjoyable and sometimes moving presentations of both well and lesser known carols. The Songster's carillon and the lively carol settings by our very competent young people's sections added to the seasonal mixture.
Kayte's solo ' Birthday Carol' transported us all to the very presence of the angels and you could have heard a pin drop as she effortlessly moved to Adolphe Adam's 'O holy night' a magical moment and a fitting prelude to General John Gowan's message.
Our General has that rare aura which immediately captivates the listener. He
reminded us of the significance of Christian names and sometimes how
inappropriate they can be, citing one instance of an acquaintance whose name was
Violet - no shrinking violet either for she was 20 stone and more. Then in an
instant we were reminded of the name of Jesus…Jehovah…Immanuel…God with
us. This was the essence of his message. God was not a remote being above the
skies, but one who came down to earth "veiled in flesh" to be part of the human
race. Simple truths expressed in an utterly compelling way.
There followed the senior band playing 'The Kingdom Triumphant' with its strong references to the second Advent. Is there a more awe-inspiring hymn than 'Lo, He comes with Clouds Descending' to the magnificent tune Helmsley? The wondrous music echoed round the hall which, allied to the classic pictures on the screen, was totally inspiring.
Finally, our soloist, the band and songsters joined forces to present 'It came upon a midnight clear'. Yet again the plaintive strains of this carol invoked a yearning for this sorry world to listen again to the angel chorus - 'O hush the noise ye men of strife and hear the angels sing'. The great audience rose to join in the final verses, adding a further intensity to this fine arrangement. To re-live this moment, click the play icon below to hear the music as it was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Christmas Day.
Further musical items can be heard on the 'Hear our Music' page.
Our thanks are due to Lesley and David Nicholson, Sue and Martyn Pearce and Roy Richley who devised the event, and to the two audiences who donated £6,000 in freewill offerings to The Salvation Army work and the Parkinsons Disease Society.
If you have any problems listening to the audio, please visit the 'Hear our Music' page. Here you will find instructions and a link to contact us for further information.