Written for the LSO Community Choir through the LSO Discovery Panufnik Composers Scheme, generously supported by Helen Hamlyn and the Helen Hamlyn Trust. First Performed at LSO St Luke’s, London, 16th November 2018.

‘Fafaia’ (2018) for choir and piano is a setting of the poem of the same name by the World War I poet, Rupert Brooke. Known for his somewhat idealistic portrayals of World War I, Brooke’s poem is simple and reflective, which he wrote when he was in Saanapu in November 1913. It can be interpreted to be about shared experiences, however fleeting, befitting to both war comrades as well as wider human relationships. ©G.E.M.2018