Armed Man (A Mass For Peace), The - Karl Jenkins

...a nutshell- dinner music! The Armed Man is a little more deep and was commissioned for the British Royal Armouries' Annivesary, so the them of this album and the music plots the progress of war, not necessarily a modern war. The National Youth Choirs do an awesome job, tackling some very difficult vocal arrangements accompanied by The London Philharmonic Orchestra in their usual excellence. The Suite Jenkins uses the poerty of Tennyson, Drydon, ...
...and the Bible. The Armed Man The opening of the piece. You can here the soldiers marching into battle. What I like from the outset is the multicultural appreciation that all races have experienced war of some kind! Musically aggressive, but simplistic based around a baroque tune with an underlying drumbeat. Essentially this serves as the call to arms. Call to Prayer A muslim prayer sung by Mohammed Gad. Beautiful and quietly serene. Kyrie ...

armychick 22.07.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Armed Man (A Mass For Peace), The - Karl Jenkins

...of choral works entitled 'The Armed Man: A Mass For Piece". Any Classic FM listener will be well aware of some of these pieces (notably the Sanctus, Agnus Dei and Benedictus) because they are *always* being played. However, I was curious to see what else the CD had to offer, and so when I received a ten quid Smiths gift voucher I decided to go for it. The CD comes in a stylish looking black case with a bright white bird, wings spread wide across ...
...the tracks: 1. The Armed Man The piece opens with the sound of soldiers slowly marching, no music as of yet. Then out of the distance a side drum begins its relentless driving rhythm, before a piccolo plays the opening tune, simple, but full of promise. The chorus enter with the same tune, bursting with energy and excitement for what is to come. I think this piece is supposed to represent a sort of excitement of soldiers heading off to war. The ...

Jaxle 19.08.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Armed Man (A Mass For Peace), The - Karl Jenkins

Beautiful choral CD, with a haunting mix of recognisable songs/hymns, literary references and huge choruses. Opens to an almost alien chanting and wastes no time in switching seamlessly between languages and styles, from Latin to English and French. Jenkins provides an offering that is almost as polarised as war itself, shifting from peaceful strains to the warlike and fiery. The overall effect is that of tension - the listener is on edge and the ...
...never quite enough to take away the anger and horror conveyed in tracks such as 'Save me from Bloody Men' and 'Angry Flames'. The album shows the uncertainty and fear caused by war well and at points descends into an almost savage chant as affecting as any war movie or news report. We are left with the message that while conflict is real and terrifying, the tranquility of a peaceful future is always the option that we should strive towards. Please ...

edinburgher 21.06.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Armed Man (A Mass For Peace), The - Karl Jenkins

I bought this album on the strength of one hearing of Benedictus on Classic FM. I was not disappointed it is an amazingly powerful piece of work. Incredible mixture of styles and techniques with Benedictus the most mind blowing. The transition from music to lyrics with the most amazing crescendo is simply breathtaking. If I need some rest from the stresses and strains of life this is the first piece of music I reach for. Not one track of this work disappointed me. I was even surprised and delighted by the insertion of a Muslim call to prayer in a traditionally Christian musical theme. Without doubt Jenkins proves his genius in this work. ...

c3por2d2 08.07.2008
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Review of Armed Man (A Mass For Peace), The - Karl Jenkins