Karl Jenkins's The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace is a departure from his Adiemus recordings into the more conventional territory of large-scale choral and orchestral writing, though his customary passion for mixing languages remains in full force with texts in English, Latin, and French. Jenkins has said that The Armed Man was inspired by the "L'Homme armé" masses that were popular in the 16th century, and he makes this debt clear with passages written in a neat pastiche of Palestrina-style renaissance polyphony. There are also echoes of earlier and later styles, including plainchant, medieval ballads, John Barry-style horn writing (think Goldfinger), and even a direct quote from Rigoletto (the choir imitates wind sounds at one point as in Act 3 of the Verdi opera). The smorgasbord manages to hold together, probably because Jenkins's obvious sincerity shines through every note. The London Philharmonic Orchestra plays beautifully, and treble Tristan Hambleton performs his solo with ethereal clarity. The National Youth Choir sings with vigor and accuracy, even if the young sopranos sound a little thin at the top of their range. If you liked the soundtrack to The Mission, this should press all the right buttons. --Warwick Thompson

The Very Best of Karl Jenkins is a 2-CD compilation that presents a selection of the most popular pieces by the nation's best-loved living composer Karl Jenkins. The set includes music from best-selling recordings Adiemus, The Armed Man, Requiem, Gloria, Stabat Mater, Palladio, Stella Natalis and Quirk.

Karl Jenkins, who was awarded a CBE in 2010, is widely recognized as the world's most popular living composer following a recent poll by renowned cultural commentator Norman Lebrecht. The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace is his most performed work, having been performed over 1000 times since its world premiere at London's Royal Albert Hall in April 2000. Commissioned jointly by The Royal Armouries and Classic FM, it was initially inspired by the Kosovan conflict, but the clear message of hope this work brings to so many resounds even stronger ten years later.

Born in Wales, Karl Jenkins studied the oboe and graduated from Cardiff University, followed by post-graduate studies at London's Royal College of Music. Having been a member of the bands Nucleus and Soft Machine, his passion for Jazz led him to composition. Classically trained, but drawing on a diverse range of global influences, his composing style has transcended musical boundaries. Recent recordings include Gloria, Stella Natalis and Joy to the World.

Following the successful Global Sing for Peace and 09/11 10th Anniversary Commemorative Concert where The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace (5099921729621) was performed, Karl Jenkins releases a new work for choral forces, orchestral strings, violin soloist and other guest instrumentalists called The Peacemakers. The work is set to texts from iconic figures who are associated with peace, not just armed conflict but race as well: Gandhi, Mandela, Mother Theresa, Dalai Lama, after Martin Luther King, and Albert Schweitzer as well as poetry, the Bible and Quran. The strings of the London Symphony Orchestra are joined by different vocal forces including City of Birmingham Youth Choir, Rundfunkchor Berlin, and the 1000-strong Really Big Chorus made up of members of UK choirs from across the country brought together in one day in one studio to contribute to two movements on the album. Guest artists include British violinist Chloë Hanslip and Indian bansuri (ethnic flute) player Ashwin Srinivasan. On January 16, 2012 at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium, DCINY will host the world premiere of The Peacemakers. Joining Karl Jenkins will be the Distinguished Concerts Singers and Orchestra International. No stranger to the big stage, Karl most recently conducted one of the most extraordinary concerts of the last few years. Taking place at Avery Fisher Hall on September 11, 2011, Karl conducted in The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace at the Commemoration Honoring the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11. The audience couldn't have received a better gift: beautifully performed, inspiring music. The crowd in attendance was so large that the lines of people spiraled around the columns in the lobby of Avery Fisher--everyone waiting to be uplifted, and they were. Born in Wales, Karl Jenkins studied the oboe and graduated from Cardiff University, followed by post-graduate studies at London's Royal College of Music. Having been a member of the bands Nucleus and Soft Machine, his passion for jazz led him to composition. Classically trained, but drawing on a diverse range of global influences, his composing style has transcended musical boundaries. Recent recordings include Gloria, Stella Natalis and Joy to the World. Karl is on e of the most prolific & performed composers in the world today.

Karl Jenkins has been composing for three decades, but it was his knack for delivering themes for TV commercials in the '80s and '90s that began his rise to wider recognition - Delta Airlines, Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society, De Beers and Levi's Jeans amongst others - earning him many prestigious music awards. " It is perhaps for his Adiemus project for which Karl is best known, having topped both pop and classical charts around the world, its evolving nature giving it universal appeal. In recent years, Jenkins has concentrated on classical works with The Armed Man (sold over 100k in the UK) and Requiem introducing him to yet another audience, topping the Classical chart, as well as entering Classic FM's 'Hall of Fame' in the Top Ten for the last two years running as the highest position for a living composer.

Karl Jenkins, the mastermind of the Adiemus project and The Armed Man (A Mass For Peace) has the gift of composing music that speaks to a very wide audience. This is a highly interesting work that draws on Western and Oriental traditions. Requiem is a mass for the souls of the dead set to texts in both Latin and Japanese, highlighting the cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth. EMI Classics. 2005.

EMI Classics presents Gloria, the brand new choral work from Karl Jenkins, the most prolific and performed composer in the world today. Breaking new ground, it will be premiered at the Royal Albert Hall. "As a composer, he recognises no boundaries - musical, commercial, geographical or cultural. His is a way of thinking and composing that is perfectly in tune with the spirit of the times." Classic FM Magazine. "I don't see any point in being a composer if one doesn't have one's work performed or heard or sung." (Karl Jenkins). Karl Jenkins - the most prolific and performed composer in the world today. EMI. 2010.

Following the success of "This Land of Ours", a set of arrangements for brass band and male voice choir that took Britain's most popular living composer back to his Welsh roots, Karl Jenkins returns with a new work to complement his massively successful "Requiem" and "Armed Man". The at once emotional, modern, culturally diverse and universally accessible style that has come to characterise the composer's sound is perfectly exemplified in this poignant new choral album. Stabat Mater is a thirteenth century Roman Catholic sequence attributed to Jacopone da Todi. It has been set to music by many composers, among them Haydn, Dvorak, Vivaldi, Rossini, Pergolesi, Stanford, Gounod, Penderecki, Poulenc, Szymanowski, Alessandro Scarlatti (1724), Domenico Scarlatti (1715), Pedro de Escobar, Arvo Pärt and Giuseppe Verdi. Its title is an abbreviation of the first line, Stabat Mater Dolorosa ("The sorrowful mother was standing"). The hymn, one of the most powerful and immediate of medieval poems, meditates on the suffering of Mary, Jesus Christ's mother, during his crucifixion. Karl's setting extends this to a universal depiction of grief by using ancient text from the area (Holy Land/Middle East) that will be sung in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic (the lingua franca of the period) and a contemporary poem, sung in English. The orchestration includes instruments indigenous to the area, percussion such as the darbuka & riq and the woodwind duduk. There are two soloists, both female singers, Jurgita Adamonyte and Belinda Sykes, who doubles on duduk or mey, a middle eastern ancient woodwind instrument. The world premiere performance of the Stabat Mater will take place in Liverpool on 15th March 2008.