Karl Jenkins

This Post isn't so much about one piece in particular but more focused on the composer.  Karl Jenkins is one of the leading composers in the world today.  In fact, in a recent survey showed that Jenkins' music is some of the most performed music in the entire world.  Originally, Jenkins started out as a Jazz composer during the period where "Jazz Polls" were popular.  After composing Jazz he began to focus on music in association with media.  He did many scores for companies such as: Levi’s, British Airways, Renault, Volvos, C&G, Tag Heuer, Pepsi as well as US/global campaigns for De Beers and Delta Airlines and Bafta ‘gongs’ for his scores for the documentaries The Celts and Testament.  After his period of media music, his return to the music mainstream was initially marked by the success of the Adiemus project. Adiemus, combining the ‘classical’ with ethnic vocal sounds and percussion with an invented language, topped classical and ‘pop’ charts around the world.

As Jenkins states "Adiemus was the project where I first combined the 'classical' with ethnic elements such as tribal & ethnic drumming with vocals that were more akin to world music than Western European classical. I also devised an invented language for this project.  The opening of Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary is familiar to many as the music for the Delta airlines advertising campaign."  There are multiple sequels to the original Adiemus and are as follows:

Adiemus

• Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary
• Adiemus II:  Cantata Mundi
• Adiemus III: Dances of Time
• Adiemus IV: The Eternal Knot
• Adiemus V: Vocalise
• Beyond the Century  

Each of these sequels sticks to the fusion of classical with ethnic and tribal elements.  These melodies are often quoted in many of his later works as well, making this project arguably his most important.  Here is a clip of Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary.  


 


In addition to Adiemus, Jenkins has also done sacred music for choir and orchestra (including The Armed Man), Christmas music (Most recently Stella Natalis), secular music for choir and orchestra, Many concertos including a Euphonium Concerto (more on that later), and music for Orchestra as well as childrens opera. 

After the Adiemus project he ventured into writing concerti for solo instruments as well as film scores.  In the summer of 2005 he wrote the film score to River Queen starring Kiefer Sutherland & Samantha Morton, the soundtrack of which won the Golden Goblet award for best score at the Shanghai Film Festival.  Karl holds a D.Mus degree from the University of Wales, has been made both a Fellow and an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, where a room has been named in his honour, and has fellowships at Cardiff University, Swansea University, the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Trinity College Carmarthen, Swansea Metropolitan University and was also presented by Classic FM with the ‘Red f ‘award for ‘outstanding service to classical music’

All of this information and more can be found at Karl Jenkins official website www.karljenkins.com  I highly recommend listening to his music.