A one-time performance of the magnificent ‘The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace’ by Karl Jenkins will take place on Saturday, 31 October 2009 at the World Forum Theatre. All the proceeds from this benefit concert will go to War Child. Our WBII member Lianne de Vries (MevrouwdeVries) is, together with hundreds of other people, volunteering for this project.
War Child is an independent humanitarian organisation which works on behalf of child soldiers, estimated at more than 250,000 in the world. Hundreds of talented musicians, no less than 250 singers and countless other volunteers have been working behind the scenes for months to prepare this benefit concert. The performance will feature talented young musicians from the Royal Conservatoire, the Rotterdam Boys Choir and the Viotta Youth Orchestra.
About ‘The Armed Man’
‘The Armed Man’ by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins was the result of a special millennial commission from the Royal Armouries in Leeds and was initially dedicated to victims of the Kosovo crisis. The Mass has firmly established itself as one of the most successful choral works of our time, with over 700 performances in more than 20 countries
Essentially an anti-war piece, the conviction that all religions and other faiths are essentially the same can literally be heard throughout the work. It’s difficult to think of another composer who could successfully place a muezzin’s call to prayer within a Mass setting and follow it with a Kyrie that quotes both Palestrina and Brazilian drum rhythms. That Jenkins does so with such ease and to such powerful effect is a tribute to his remarkable skill and musical sensitivity.
The performance in The Hague will be accompanied by the film ‘The Armed Boy’. The film was created exclusively to accompany live performances to correspond harmoniously with the theme and tone of each individual piece.
The initiative is part of the ‘Stad voor stap naar Vrede’ campaign. The Hague, city of peace and justice, is War Child City for a year.
More details
Tickets for this one-time concert cost € 55,- and can be purchased via www.seetickets.nl. More information about the concert can be found on www.concertvoorkindsoldaten.nl (in Dutch)
Get your tickets now!
