Posted: 14/11/25
Derwent Brass joins Southwell Choral Society to present REMEMBER, featuring the UK premiere of Geoff Colmer’s arrangement of Fauré’s Requiem and the world-premiere performance of Simon Haw’s new orchestration of I’ll Remember.
This Saturday 15th November, Derwent Brass and Southwell Choral Society unite in the inspiring surroundings of Southwell Minster for REMEMBER - a concert of reflection, remembrance and musical partnership.
At its heart is the UK premiere performance of Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem in D minor, Op. 48 (1900 version), arranged for brass and choir by Geoff Colmer. Believed to be the first performance in the UK of this setting, with previous performances documented only in Italy and the USA, the event marks a landmark moment in collaborative music-making between two of Britain’s most vibrant amateur traditions.
Fauré’s Requiem remains one of the most beloved works in the choral repertoire — intimate, luminous and suffused with hope. As Fauré himself wrote:
“Everything I managed to entertain by way of religious illusion I put into my Requiem, which moreover is dominated from beginning to end by a very human feeling of faith in eternal rest.”
The c.40-minute work moves from the gentle Introit et Kyrie through to the radiant In Paradisum, offering a message of comfort and transcendence, with Colmer’s 2018 arrangement bringing a fresh palette of colour and emotional depth to Fauré’s timeless score.
“My first love is English music, but I have lived and worked in France for a few years. During that time, I attended many orchestral concerts and grew to love French music too. Add to this my many years in brass bands and dozens of concerts with choirs, where we always seem to scramble for repertoire to perform together. Two great British amateur music-making groups and little out there to play together? I set out to fill this gap in some small way. Fauré’s Requiem lifts the spirit and makes your eyes look up with joy.” — Geoff Colmer
The programme also features the world-premiere performance of Simon Haw’s orchestration of his own song I’ll Remember, originally composed for the Royal British Legion to mark the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day in 2025. Simon Haw MBE — a BAFTA-winning composer, Composer-in-Residence at Commonwealth Music, and Assistant Director of Music for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance — crafted this special orchestration for brass and choir specifically for the occasion. His music is deeply rooted in remembrance, reflecting themes of service, sacrifice and hope. Both arrangers will attend the performance to support the premiere presentations.
Together, Derwent Brass and Southwell Choral Society promise an evening of profound musical unity and reflection within the historic surroundings of Southwell Minster.
'REMEMBER' takes place on Saturday 15th November at 7:30 pm in Southwell Minster, Southwell, Nottinghamshire. Tickets are available via Southwell Choral Society and the Southwell Minster Shop.
