Religious leaders from about a hundred countries have been attending a conference in the Soviet capital of Moscow, aimed at promoting world peace. On Tuesday (7 June) evening, the churchmen took some time off from their discussions for a concert at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

SYNOPSIS: The concert consisted of both religious and commonly-known classical works by such outstanding Soviet composers as Glinka and Glazunov.

The churchmen began their conference the previous day (6 June). The meeting was organised by the Russian Orthodox Church and attracted about a thousand delegates. Their main aim was to discuss ways of promoting a lasting peace throughout the world by creating greater understanding between nations. They were also seeking a total disarmament. Another main subject for discussion was expected to be the progress that has been made towards the implementation of proposals under the so-called Helsinki Agreement. The leaders of 34 nations met in the Finnish capital in 1975 to discuss European security and cooperation. The agreement reached layed down certain proposals on human rights and on general relations between countries. A further meeting of the leaders is to be held this month in Belgrade, Yugoslavia to discuss any developments. But for the churchmen in Moscow, there was time just to sit back and enjoy the music.

The concert was a tremendous success. The Conservatory Grand Hall, where the concert was given, was the place where composers such as Tchaikovsky, performed recitals of their works. The religious leaders were also treated to a piece of Sergei Rachmaninov's work. Rachmaninov is perhaps best known for his piano concertos and solo preludes. But the work performed at the Conservatory was his Psalm 103, sung by the State Academic Russian Choir and conducted by Uri Ukhov.