Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA)

The world has experienced many difficulties and much pain because of epidemics and disasters. The concert “A Mass for Peace” is designed to encourage people to look forward to greater peace and happiness.

“A mass for peace” is a work by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins. It was released in 2000 and has been performed by orchestras and choirs around the world but has never been staged in Vietnam.

The Vietnam National Opera and Ballet has combined an orchestra, leading Vietnamese opera artists, and a giant choir to create a grand symphony. For the first time, opera artists of the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet will perform with four international choirs – the Hanoi Voices Choir, the Concordia International School Hanoi, the V-Art Choir, and the Hanoi Erato School.

The piece opens to the sound of a solemn marching drum, followed by sad melodies conveying the sacrifice and loss of disaster victims. It ends with music suggesting new beginnings and aspirations for peace for people all over the world.

VNOB Director Phan Manh Duc said "A mass for peace" is a great event, extolling peace and people's desire to live happily and in peace.