Jenkins: Armed Man a Mass for Peace

CD Details

Karl Jenkins’s The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, released in 2013, represents a large-scale choral and orchestral work that draws inspiration from sixteenth-century “L’Homme armé” masses. Performed by Alan Easton, Alexander Pidgen, and Alexandra Parr, the composition weaves together multiple musical traditions and languages, incorporating plainchant, medieval ballads, and orchestral writing reminiscent of film scores. Jenkins blends texts in English, Latin, and French throughout the eight movements, creating a work that balances renaissance polyphony with echoes of various musical periods and styles.

This Warner Classics CD features the complete mass across ten tracks, including “The Armed Man,” “The Call To Prayers (Adhaan),” “Kyrie,” “Sanctus,” “Agnus Dei,” and others, with a total runtime spanning the full composition. The recording captures the breadth of Jenkins’s orchestration and vocal writing, presenting his sincere approach to this ambitious sacred work. Acquire this used copy and add a significant modern choral work to your collection.