Sir Karl Jenkins is one of the most performed living composers in the world, best known for his acclaimed Adiemus songs and the timeless choral masterpiece, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. This evocative work combines the traditional Latin mass text with musical influences from both Western and Eastern traditions, including the Muslim call-to-prayer and texts from Rudyard Kipling to Japanese poet Sankichi Tōge. Traversing the human side of war, it ranges from serene refection to the dramatic climax of battle, always retaining the narrative that peace is always better than war.
The concert, which also features the Northampton Bach Choir, includes two gems of the English symphonic repertoire with Walton’s Portsmouth Point, a perfect musical picture postcard of the English seaside, and Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro, a heartfelt and dramatic symphonic poem for string quartet and orchestra.