Pianist entertains at Bexhill hospital

Hospital Chaplain the Rev. Neville Barnett had arranged for the choir of St Peter’s Church to sing Faure’s Requiem for Monday’s early event in the unit’s atrium.

When choir director Anthony Wilson rang to say that a mix of illness and work commitments meant that the choir could not come all seemed to be lost. However, Anthony kindly offered his solo services at the piano.

In turn he was rewarded by a near full-house. Ambulant patients and those in wheel-chairs were already in place when the Chaplain introduced Anthony. Others were listening from their beds in the unit’s bays.

Anthony launched a mixed programme of classical and popular music with a piece by Ian Lake heavily influenced by Ravel’s Bolero before switching to Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Sunrise, Sunset and Three Coins in the Fountain.

Two pieces from the Country Town suite were followed by Erik Satie’s ever-popular Gymnopedie.

From a protest piece by Sir Peter Maxwell-Davis against uranium mining, Anthony concluded with a tribute to John Williams’ contribution to the film including pieces from Jurassic Park and Star Wars. By John Dowling