The Armed Man

The Armed Man by Karl Jenkins is an amazing work, and surely all the better for being performed live, as it was last Saturday at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall by the Liverpool Welsh Choral Union and the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the composer.

It is called a Mass, and has some traditional elements of a Mass, such as Kyrie and Agnus Dei, but it also draws material from different times and parts of the world.

It is called a Mass for Peace, but the title, and the liberal use of drums, gives parts of it a quite militaristic feel. Sanctus, one of the pieces which I was somewhat familiar with from classic FM, seems almost incongruous with the drum beat that underpins it.  One piece, called the charge, more than any other catches the excitement of war, and the way man gets dragged into the lust of battle.

But if it catches the adrenalin of war, it catches also the horror of war.  One of the pieces is a poem written by a Japanese person emerging from the ruins of Hiroshima, and ancient Indian piece called Torches is very graphic.  There is a one moment where the choir lets out a noise somewhere between a wail and a scream.

It is difficult to view it as a religious work, as it draws material from Christian, Moslem and Hindu sources, as well as secular poets. Even so, it is a spiritual work.  It starts with a call to prayer, and after celebrating and lamenting war it calls on the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Finally, after ringing out the old and ringing in the new, there are the words from revelation.. God will wipe away the tears..there shall be no more death or sorrow. It has the subject matter to be depressing, but it is, ultimately a work of hope.

All these great themes are well expressed in music, making it a very varied evening, an emotional roller coaster. As well as some big moments, making full use of the sizeable choir and orchestra, with generous use of brass and percussion, there are some beautifully lush pieces. Outstanding amongst these is the Benedictus, with an exquisite cello solo.

The four soloists were good, but spent most of the evening waiting their turn, it is certainly the choir that is centre stage. They were joined at the end by the fifth soloist, and 11 year old lad of Yemeni background from Childwall school who performed the Moslem call to prayer from the back of the orchestra near the start.

It was good watching Karl Jenkins conduct, his baton movements were very precise. It was especially good when he was conducting the choir, putting down the baton and controlling the choir with precise hand gestures.

In the first half we Te Deum, also by Karl Jenkins, followed by Elgar Serenade for strings, conducted by the leader of the orchestra. All part of a great evening.