LETTER: Perfect peace

O,H THAT mankind would live by the magnetism of Karl Jenkins’ The Peacemakers!

The first performance of this choral work, in this part of the country, by The Angmering Chorale in Arundel Cathedral on Saturday evening, was superb.

Composed and published in 2011 by Jenkins, who is patron of the chorale, The Peacemakers’ message to us all came home.

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The script, taken from words of those who have worked for peace, constantly encourages that life should be that of caring for others.

Among these are quotations from the 14th Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Albert Schweitzer, Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela, all Nobel Peace Prize recipients, and P. B. Shelley, Mahatma Gandhi, Terry Waite, Rumi, Carol Barratt, wife of Karl Jenkins, Anne Frank, the Bible, the Qur’an and anonymous writers, all saying “be peaceful”. Twenty-one languages saying “peace”. How could anyone miss the message?

The Sinfonia of Arun beautifully performed the music, led by Robin Morrish playing his solos with great feeling, the strings producing sounds I have never before heard joining the ethnic sound and instruments of the percussion group.

Alison Manton, accompanist to the chorale, Dan Hawkins (bass guitar), Christian Forshaw (saxophone) and Laura Ashworth (soprano) made music to stir one’s heart. The dynamics ranged from very loud, drowning the few Latin words, to so quiet and gentle you could hear the feathers beating on The Dove’s wings

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The chorale sang with great feeling and obvious pleasure, their faces giving that extra meaning to the words.

They were joined by 34 fresh, young voices of Shoreham Academy Singers, whose concentration, dedication and sound was wonderful to experience.

George Jones, musical director, conducted with great physical presence, his energy an inspiration to the 179 participants, and was, in itself, a huge part of the performance.

The large audience’s sustained applause at the end showed their great appreciation of the whole evening, which began with the Sinfonia’s performance of the Albinoni-inspired Adagio for strings and continued with the Chorale’s singing of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ atmospheric Benedicite.

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Personally, the evening’s memories are held within the words: “an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind” (Mahatma Gandhi); “Peace begins with a smile. If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other” (Mother Teresa); “How wonderful it is that no one need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world!” (Anne Frank); “Peace starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace we can be at peace with those around us” (14th Dalai Lama).

Such words and such music enthralled me.

Diana Twitchen

Meadow Park

East Preston