MONMOUTH Choral Society will hold a concert on Saturday to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt, where Henry V, who was born in Monmouth, led his English and Welsh army to their famous victory against far larger French forces. But the mood for the evening will be far from triumphalist and the performance, at Wyastone Concert Hall, near Ross-on-Wye, will feature music from both sides of the Channel.

The conductor will be Steven Kings, musical director of Monmouth Choral Society, with accompanist Christopher Northam, piano. Students from Monmouth Comprehensive School will also perform a selection of prose, poetry and music connected with the battle, which was a key event during the Hundred Years War, and there will be fascinating displays of student work and weaponry etc from the battle era.

The main work is George Dyson's cantata Agincourt, a setting of texts from Shakespeare's Henry V, which tells the story of the battle, where Henry of Monmouth's forces, and in particular the longbow-wielding archers, overcame the superior French army. Some of Shakespeare's most memorable lines, such as: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers,” feature in Dyson's work.

The concert will also include Non Nobis Domine by Patrick Doyle, which was written for the Kenneth Branagh film Henry V, and a setting by Steven Kings of the traditional Agincourt Carol.

Tickets available from the society's box office on 01594 531496, online at monmouthchoralsociety.co.uk, at DS Music, Monnow Street, Monmouth and on the door at the concert, although advance booking is recommended.