On Friday and Saturday the massed ranks of The Invitation Theatre Company, Devizes Musical Theatre, Devizes Chamber Choir, and The Fulltone Orchestra gathered in St. Mary’s, Devizes under Antony Brown’s inspired musical direction to perform ‘The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace’ by Karl Jenkins, and other works, to commemorate 100 years since the signing of the Armistice.

The ‘Armed Man’, commissioned by the Royal Armouries to mark the end of a century of wars and dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo conflict, was first performed in 2000. It’s the story of the cycle of war; the build up, the acceleration to the point of no return, the chaos, the carnage, the come down and the peace, and is a complex work based around the Catholic Mass that draws from musical and textual sources as diverse as the Mahabharata, 15th century French folk music, Malory, Kipling, Horace, and Japanese poetry. I went to the dress rehearsal on the Thursday expecting the show to be good with rough edges. I’ve seen enough of TITCO, Devizes Musical Theatre, and the Fulltone Orchestra now to be able to predict a certain level of quality (and presumed that the Chamber Choir would be none too shabby either), but dress rehearsals are rarely spot on, and that’s a lot of spirited singers and musicians to co-ordinate.

It was magnificent. One could pick it apart, but its power lay in the effect of the whole. Of course soloists Naomi Ibbotsen in the Kyrie, Tina Duffin, Mari Webster, Sean Andrews and Jon Paget in Angry Flames, and Teresa Bray in the haunting Now the Guns have Stopped were good, because they always are. Of course every musician in the orchestra was on point, because they always are. Everyone was good. It sounded technically excellent, and everyone worked well together.

But overall it was incredible; the mass of voices in the mystical space, the Call to Prayer echoing in the shadows, the lighting playing poppies on the walls, the names of the Devizes dead scrolling up to the Gods, the sudden shocks to the senses, the musical surprises, the sounds of ominous drums, triumphant drums, marching music and mourning music, pipes, bells, solemn chants and psalms, the horror of the screams of the dying at the end of ‘Charge!’, the sweet cello, the sound of the rain, the lonely trumpeter and the songs of peace. It’s hard to be objective about a show like that. Today someone told me that her daughter sang in it and enjoyed it more than anything else she had ever sung in. There was something special about it, as if everyone who took part felt the responsibility of honouring the fallen and gave it their all. It was deeply moving. I was in tears after a few minutes, and I wasn’t the only one.

Act Two was short. Bit of Lawrence of Arabia, bit of Private Ryan, Jemma Brown singing her heart out in ‘The Lord’s Prayer’, and then Gary Barlow, Gustav Holst, and hope and away. It was ‘The Armed Man’ that left the strongest impression.

What did I miss by going to the dress rehearsal? The visual of the cast in black and poppies, little Owen Davies-Brown singing, the reaction of two full houses and the final hoorah perhaps, but not the devastating effect of the piece. Nothing I’ve read or heard said since Thursday regarding subsequent performances contradicts my view that ‘The Armed Man’ was a stunning show, and that everyone who was involved in any way is to be congratulated.

Two drum beats and a cymbal crash.

Shock and awesome.

All proceeds of the event were donated to Help for Heroes.