The second movement evokes a sense of a powerful awakening to the love that surrounds me, the rhythmic frame of the trumpet, cellos and strings representing the impact of this intense rush of awareness resonating in every cell of my body. A crescendo of timpani, cymbals and strings transforms into a tender refrain, carried by the strings and woodwind, reflecting the sense of wonder I experience in this eternal moment as a voice inside my head whispers, “ you are safe, everything is well. You are loved .”

THE DIVINE LIGHT: 2nd Mov (Performed by COSI)

The first movement describes the powerful transition I go through, journeying to another world as the emergency department doctors fight to save me. From the opening notes, my music aims to give the listener an experience of what this serene and calm other-world feels like, with the powerful crescendo of strings, brass and timpani representing the moment I become aware of the Androgynous Being of Light and feel an overwhelming sense of unconditional love emanating from its presence.

THE DIVINE LIGHT: 1st Mov. Adagio (Performed by COSI)

The third movement describes my peak experience of seeing a great luminous, brilliant tunnel of radiant light, swirling at my feet as I realise this is the source of all life itself and the tenor vocal part embodies the overwhelming feeling of peace I feel in its presence. This is the moment I understand the meaning and purpose of my experience. In the vastness of everything, in the journey of our life, the one thing that makes it bearable, is love.

The Divine Light: 3rd Mov (Performed by COSI. Tenor: Julian Merson)

A few years ago, David Ditchfield had a freak accident in which he was dragged under a speeding train. As the surgeons fought to save him, he had a profound near-death experience (NDE) and journeyed to what he believes was the Afterlife. When he woke up in hospital, he had acquired astonishing new abilities which to this day, he still cannot explain. The first gift was an enhanced ability to paint. After his NDE, David felt compelled to produce dramatic and rich images of the things he saw in the Afterlife, paintings so vivid and real it was as though he had taken a HD camera with him to visually capture what most NDE'rs can only describe using words. Then, even more surprisingly, he started composing classical music. This new-found gift was all the more astonishing as David (a former punk/pop guitarist) has never received any training in classical music and never composed such music before his NDE. In fact, to this day, he cannot read or write a single note of musical notation. 
David's debut symphony 'The Divine Light' expresses what he felt during his NDE. The symphony was premiered at a sell-out concert and received a standing ovation from the audience. Since then, he has been commissioned to compose further classical works which have also been premiered at sell-out performances and has completed more than thirty paintings and a number of commissioned artworks

David Ditchfield

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