Eventide: In Memoriam Edith Cavell & Fauré's Requiem

Eventide: In Memoriam Edith Cavell, written by leading British composer Patrick Hawes, honours the heroism of Edith Cavell, a nurse celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides in World War I without discrimination. The London concert is to be deeply poignant since the performance will take place exactly 100 years to the day after her death by a German firing squad in 1915 for helping Allied soldiers escape from occupied Belgium.

The concert will feature the Brandenburg Sinfonia and Addison Singers under the baton of David Wordsworth. Tiffin Boys Choir will provide the semi-chorus singing the haunting melody of the well-known hymn Abide with Me which permeates the whole work, and forms the last words Cavell recited with her chaplain hours before her execution.

Patrick says “The text for Eventide is drawn from material relating to the last days of Edith’s life including her letters, diary and text from The Book of Common Prayer which was her constant companion. As I was writing the work, certain phrases of the psalms and prayers leapt out at me – they’re given a new light in the shadow of her death. It's extraordinary, as I wrote this piece of music I felt I've really got to know her from a spiritual point of view... I could almost feel her with me as I worked.”

In 2015, Edith’s selfless contribution is marked by the use of her image on a new £5 coin by the Royal Mint.

Donations from ticket sales will be made to Cavell Nurse Trust and Nursing Memorial Appeal.