Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Jutland centenary composition to be performed for first time at commemorations

Battleships in the North Sea, as the anniversary of the Battle of Jutland in the First World War is to be marked with a major display (National Museum Of The Royal Navy/PA)
Battleships in the North Sea, as the anniversary of the Battle of Jutland in the First World War is to be marked with a major display (National Museum Of The Royal Navy/PA)

A new piece of music by the late composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies will premier at the Battle of Jutland commemorations in Orkney next week.

The UK Government commissioned the work to mark the centenary of the 1916 clash between the British and German navies and honour those who died at sea during World War I.

Orkney-resident Sir Peter, a former Master of the Queen’s Music, wrote The Golden Solstice just before his death in March.

It will be performed by the choir and organist of Britain’s most northerly cathedral, St Magnus in Kirkwall, at a special service attended by Jutland descendants.

The Princess Royal, Duke of Edinburgh and German President Joachim Gauck will also be at the event.

Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said: “We will remember those who sacrificed so much. Music is a powerful way to help tell their story and honour their memory.

“Sir Peter was one of the UK’s finest composers and through his magnificent work, we will pay tribute to his adopted home of Orkney and to all those who served at sea during the First World War.”

The Golden Solstice lyrics are by George Mackay Brown, a poet who spent his life in Orkney and was a close friend of the composer.

The Kirkwall City Pipe Band, the Band of HM Royal Marines Portsmouth, and the Marinemusikkorps Kiel German Navy Band will also perform at commemorations.

As well as the service in St Magnus, an act of remembrance will be conducted at the Royal Naval Cemetery in Lyness, on Hoy.

Cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), it is the final resting place for some 450 service personnel who died during WWI, including sailors lost at Jutland.

There will also be a remembrance service at sea where a German navy frigate will join a British ship to scatter poppies and forget-me-nots – the German flower of remembrance – into the North Sea at Jutland Bank.

Fought between the Royal Navy’s Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet, more than 100,000 sailors on 250 ships took part in the Battle of Jutland on May 31-June 1, 1916.

More than 8,500 souls, some 6,000 British sailors and 2,500 Germans, lost their lives.

Orkney was chosen as the focus of the UK Government’s commemorations to recognise the battle’s impact on the islands and role they played in hosting the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow during WWI.