By George S. Brown
The Peacemakers, a cantata by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins, had its world premiere in January 2012 at Carnegie Hall, and its South Florida premiere earlier this month in Delray Beach.
The work, which sets words of peace from such figures as Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., texts from the Bible and Qu’ran and quotes from people ranging from hostage negotiator Terry Waite to Anne Frank, and poems by Shelley, Malory and Jenkins himself.
Although many of the texts have their origins in religion, the overall approach is more one of spirituality. As Jenkins notes, one line from the Persian mystic poet Rumi sums up the ethos of the work: “All religions, all singing one song: Peace be with you.”
The work was presented by the St. Paul’s Choir, the Pinecrest School Choristers, soprano soloist Margaret Schmitt, organist Matthew Emkey, and the Sinfonia del Ré, all led by St. Paul’s music director Keith Paulson-Thorp. They gave an outstanding performance.
The musical style of The Peacemakers is pleasant and most accessible. It will likely remind many listeners of much recent film music, as well, occasionally, the choral music of John Rutter. The piece is laid out in two parts with an intermezzo for violin solo and ensemble between the two. Each part is in eight movements that are generally contemplative in nature, although there are more energetic tempi in certain sections.
Lasting just a little over an hour, the cantata does not burden an audience’s attention span, and what dissonances there are will not disturb any but the most conservative of contemporary listeners. Shortly after the first performance, Jenkins made a recording of the work with the London Symphony Orchestra, soloists, and a large choral assembly (EMI CD 50999-0-84378-2-2).
Paulson-Thorp conducted the 21 voices of the St. Paul’s Choir, the 21 Pinecrest School Choristers, and the 18 members of the Sinfonia del Ré in a well-prepared, musically accurate, and thoroughly engaging performance. In general I found his approach more energetic and direct than Jenkins’ own on the recording. Paulson-Thorp’s beat is clear and precise, his enthusiasm and dedication to the best possible performance was clear in every gesture, and he drew from his 65 singers and musicians a performance that surely would have brought a smile to Jenkins’ face, as it did to every member of the audience that packed St. Paul’s.
While the music is easily accessible to the audience, it does present some musical challenges, all of which were easily overcome in this performance. The acoustic in the sanctuary seemed perfect for the work: Resonant but clear, and not overly reverberant.
The St. Paul’s Choir, which works weekly with Paulson-Thorp, was excellent. Every word was clear: there was no need to refer to the libretto provided in the program. The choral sound was rich but without excessive vibrato in any of the voices. Entrances and cutoffs were clear and crisp. The choir certainly appeared to have entered into the spirit of the piece, based upon the intensity of facial expressions, particularly the smiles, with which they sang. Soloists Anita Smith, Emily Thompson, Marie-Regine Ridolfo, and Alexey Kukharskiy were outsanding in their contributions during key passages in several of the movements.
A regular in the south Palm Beach County music scene for many years, soprano Margaret Schmitt once again demonstrated her reliability and versatility. Her performance of Section 7, “Peace is…,” was quite moving. Her words were crisply expressed, placed fully forward on a well-supported stream of warm and cultured tone. Her breath control underpinned some very moving pianissimo singing on the words “we rest in peace.”
The Pinecrest School Choristers were well prepared by their director, Larry Mellone. The young singers seemed thoroughly to enjoy their first performance with orchestral ensemble, and they were ever attentive to Paulson-Thorp’s precise cues. They added immensely to the charm of Evening Prayer, the piece that closes Part I. Their voices were most suitable for the anonymous text (“Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Bless this bed that I lie on…”). This section was one of the highlights of the performance.
The Sinfonia del Ré revealed themselves as a dedicated team of highly accomplished instrumentalists working together to bring Jenkins’ score to life. Paulson-Thorp’s direction assisted them in delivering a clean, articulate, and polished performance. Despite there being only 18 players, the orchestral sound was well-rounded and full, and the ensemble playing was precise.
The strings easily overcame the pizzicato difficulties in Section 14 (One Song), another highlight of the performance. In the Intermezzo, violin soloist Bogumila Zgraja provided sweet tone and long-limbed phrasing that conveyed the peace and apartness of its title, Solitude. Doing double duty on the organ and electronic keyboard, Matthew Emkey (music director at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius in Palm Beach Gardens) provided admirable support to the ensemble and played the many very difficult passages with ease. Thanks to Emkey’s expert performance, the organ underpinned the ensemble and its tone was perceptible, but it never overwhelmed the other instruments.
Among other significant highlights of the afternoon, Section 4 (I offer you peace), to words by Gandhi, is in a lilting 6/8 meter with an easily memorable modal melody that conveys with simplicity the sentiment in the words: “…My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you….” Section 6 (Healing Light: a Celtic Prayer) has a thrumming ostinato bass line that underpins dark, closely spaced E-minor choral harmonies. Paulson-Thorp elicited carefully terraced dynamics from the chorus and ensemble, varying the crescendos and decrescendos in each repetition to create a cumulative effect in line with Jenkins’ performance indication: “Hypnotically.”
Overall, the Music at St. Paul’s 25th Anniversary Concert was more than worthy of the occasion. Music at St. Paul’s has presented excellent performances of both core and more adventuresome repertory during its 25 years in a lovely venue at more than reasonable prices for the quality of music making.
Next up in the Music at St. Paul’s series is the Russian-born cellist Ian Maksin. The recital begins at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 21, at the church, 188 S. Swinton Ave. Tickets: $15-$20. Call 278-6003 or visit stpaulsdelray.org.