St Mary's Perivale Events details

Sunday 8 November 3.00 pm

Christopher Kent (actor)
Gamal Khamis (piano)

'Never Such Innocence'

Words and music from the First World War

Acclaimed actor/pianist duo Christopher Kent and Gamal Khamis return with a special 10th anniversary Remembrance Sunday performance of Never Such Innocence, their widely-praised narrative recital of words and music from the First World War. It was first performed at St Mary's Perivale in 2016 as part of the Somme 100 commemorations and has since been seen in concert venues, theatres and festivals across the UK, including sell-out performances in London's West End. It was also featured on BBC Radio 3 when it was described as “an incredibly moving performance”.

Never Such Innocence features piano music of the period by composers including Elgar, Ravel, Debussy and Ivor Gurney juxtaposed with the words of writers such as Wilfred Owen, Edward Thomas, Siegfried Sassoon and Vera Brittain, all interwoven with the individual story of Christopher's own great uncle, nineteen-year-old conscript Private Percy O'Key, explored through his real-life letters and diaries. It is a moving and compelling journey from innocence to loss, told with unflinching clarity and compassion.

Piano repertoire:

Elgar: Salut d'Amour, op 12 (1888)
Chopin: Polonaise op 40 no 1 in A major “Military” (1838)
Debussy: Prelude Book 2, VII La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune (1913)
Frank Bridge: Lament, H117 (1915)
Ravel: Rigaudon from Tombeau de Couperin (1917)
Schoenberg: Op 11 no 3 (1909)
Ivor Gurney: Prelude no 8 in F sharp (1920)
Bach: Prelude in E flat minor BWV 853 Bk 1 (1722)
Elgar: “Nimrod” from Enigma Variations, op 36 (transcr Elgar) (1899)

Come along to St Mary's Perivale
or watch LIVE on YouTube or Facebook
or watch the recording on YouTube

The recital partnership between Christopher Kent and Gamal Khamis began in 2016 with Never Such Innocence , their acclaimed narrative recital of words and music from the First World War (described by BBC Radio 3 as “an incredibly moving performance”). It was followed in 2019 by Odyssey – Words and Music of Finding Home , with specially commissioned works by six award-winning contemporary poets and composers. In 2020 a livestreamed performance of Enoch Arden by Strauss/Tennyson from St Mary's Perivale was viewed globally and led to subsequent performances in London and around the UK, before being recorded as a critically-acclaimed CD/Streaming release by SOMM Recordings. An Exquisite Harmony about the lives and music of Robert & Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms followed in 2022, with performances continuing throughout the 2025/26 season. Their adaptation of Venus & Adonis with music by Felix Mendelssohn was commissioned by the inaugural Shakespeare in Music Festival and premiered at Stratford in 2025 with further performances continuing.

Christopher Kent has appeared on stage, screen and radio in a wide range of roles from Shakespeare to contemporary drama. London theatre appearances have included Cyrano de Bergerac with Robert Lindsay at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, The Government Inspector with Timothy Spall at Greenwich Theatre and most recently Bob Price in Things I Know To Be True and Candy in Of Mice and Men, both at OSO Barnes. His live performances of epic story-telling in partnership with leading musicians have been widely acclaimed. Television appearances include Shoot to Kill, Maggie's Baby, Stealing the Fire and Coronation Street and his voice is regularly heard on commercials, documentaries and film trailers.

Described by The Times as a pianist with "formidable keyboard skills", Gamal Khamis first performed at the Wigmore Hall at the age of ten, and he has since appeared at Carnegie Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Glasshouse International Centre for Music, as well as all over Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Recent engagements have included conducting Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera in Sheffield, as well as performing concertos by Rachmaninov, Schumann and Grieg with orchestras across the UK. Gamal is a Samling Artist and a member of the award-winning Lipatti Piano Quartet. In 2027 Gamal performs Brahms's First Piano Concerto with Slough Philharmonic Society. Gamal was recently appointed as a Professor at the Royal College of Music.

Audience comments from previous performances:
“Very special, deeply moving and immensely absorbing.”
“Spell-binding… so compelling to watch and listen to”
"The most amazing evening... one of the most moving and thought-provoking events I have ever attended."
“Beautifully nuanced show – tender, moving, angry”
“The choice of poetry and music was perfect and the narrative and underlying story very moving…I don't think there was a dry eye in the house.”

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