Composed by Karl
Jenkins
Llewellyn Choir
Chorale Les Alizes
Conducted by Rowan
Harvey Martin and Nathalie Delcourt
Anzac Memorial Chapel
of St.Paul, RMC Duntroon
3 October 2015
‘The Armed Man’ by Welsh composer, Karl Jenkins, premiered
in England in 2000. Dedicated to the
victims of the Kosovo crisis, it is a ‘Mass For Peace’ which describes the
horrors of war but ends on a note of optimism for a world at peace. Using the words of Rudyard Kipling, John
Dryden, Jonathan Swift, Toge Sankichi and words from religious texts, Jenkins
creates a strikingly dramatic musical vision of the horrors of war followed by
an exquisitely emotional finale of hope for a future without war.
Canberra’s Llewellyn Choir joined with New Caledonia’s
Chorale Les Alizes to present this extraordinary work. The performance was conducted by Rowan
Harvey-Martin. It’s a lengthy, complex
work that demands great skill from everyone involved to be successful. The combined choirs sang confidently and
clearly throughout and the Llewellyn Sinfonia played the music superbly. Mezzo Soprano, Christina Wilson, and treble, Charlie
Barnes, sang the solo passages with great feeling and accuracy. The tension and colours in the work were
maintained throughout by Rowan Harvey-Martin’s expert conducting.
Also on the program was a selection of works by the
individual choirs. Of the works chosen
by the Llewellyn Choir, ‘Magnificat’ by Herbert Howells was particularly well
sung. ‘Ave Maria’ by Giulio Caccini and ‘Tant
que vivray’ (So long as I live) by Claudin de Sermisy were beautifully sung by
the Chorale Les Alizes, who were conducted by Nathalie Delcourt. The works were nicely accompanied by Anthony Smith.
The Anzac Memorial Chapel of St. Paul at RMC Duntroon with
its great acoustics was a perfect venue to hear this concert. The two choirs, soloists, orchestra and
conductors gave Canberra a particularly exciting and memorable music evening.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast in the ‘Artcetera’ program on Artsound FM 92.7 on Saturdays
from 9am.