Ben-Hur 1925

Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ has inspired numerous adaptations for film, television and radio, each distilling the vast eight-part novel while preserving its enduring themes of compassion and forgiveness.

Using the 1925 silent film as a starting point, I have reimagined the story as Ben-Hur, late in life, looks back on its defining moments, his memories coming alive before him.

Part I: Ben-Hur’s life unfolds in epic flashes: from Rome’s splendour and tyranny to the haunting strains of Veni, Veni Emmanuel hinting at Christ’s coming; a family betrayed, the galleys, heroic battles, and a chariot triumph—yet even victory offers no peace.

Part II: Ben-Hur is torn by inner turmoil as he discovers his suffering family. In desperation he turns to Christ whose message of compassion and forgiveness transforms him, his thirst for vengeance giving way to healing and reconciliation.

The work also acknowledges the profound infuence of Eric Ball, whose biblical tone poems — including King of Kings (1931) and Exodus (1937) — helped shape the brass band repertoire of their time.

The hymn Veni, Veni Emmanuel, symbolising the parallel narrative of Christ within this story, was likewise central to Ball’s epic The Kingdom Triumphant.

The work concludes with the well-known Dresden Amen, also heard in the closing bars of The Kingdom Triumphant.

Ben-Hur 1925 was commissioned by The Whitburn Band, MD Nicholas Childs, and is dedicated to the memory of Derek Smith.

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