Karl Jenkin’s The Peacemakers

Brentwood Choral Society

The Peacemakers is a work extolling peace. Jenkins uses words by many iconic figures that have shaped history, for example, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, Terry Waite CBE, Anne Frank and Albert Scweitzer.

The composer has used influences from different religions and cultures, using the music to identify their origins, such as an Indian flute, a Japanese flute, Uilleann pipes and Bodhŕan drums. Words from many religious sources are included as well as some of the English poets. Carol Barratt, a music educator and Jenkin’s wife, has also contributed.

The Peacemakers is dedicated to the memory of all those who have lost their lives during armed conflict: in particular innocent civilians.

“When I composed The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace for the millennium, it was with the hope of looking forward to a century of peace. Sadly, nothing much has changed.“
Karl Jenkins CBE