Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
hyrwyddo a dathlu cerddoriaeth Cymru
promoting and celebrating the music of Wales
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Composer of the Month
Sir Karl Jenkins
Sir Karl Jenkins is one of the globe’s most popular living composers. A constant presence in Classic FM’s Hall of Fame, his music has been performed on the world's biggest stages and was heard at the Coronation of King Charles III in 2023. His phenomenal success has earned him 17 gold and platinum discs and commissions for the biggest names in classical music including Sir Bryn Terfel, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Following a conventional musical education — playing the oboe in the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and studying music at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music — Jenkins spent the early '70s in jazz (he played saxophone with the bands Nucleus and Soft Machine) before moving into advertising where he scored a notable success with Palladio, originally written for a De Beers commercial. In 1994 Jenkins became a household name with Adiemus which he wrote for a Delta Airlines campaign.
Building on his growing reputation, Jenkins began writing larger pieces, most notably The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace (2000). This is his most popular work which has received a staggering number of performances (over 3000 at the last count) and was selected to represent the decade 2000-2009 in BBC Radio 3’s 'Soundscape of a Century'.
Among Jenkins’s other works are a harp concerto, commissioned by the Prince of Wales for harpist Catrin Finch, a Stabat Mater and The Peacemakers which set texts by Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Anne Frank and Mother Teresa.
In November 2023 Sir Karl Jenkins conducted the World Choir for Peace and the World Orchestra for Peace in his most recent work, One World. Its Decca Records release went straight to number one in the UK Classical chart.
Despite its huge popularity, Jenkins’s music has often divided opinion and has been dismissed by many critics. Up until recently it was rarely programmed by Radio 3 and so for many, Jenkins's BBC Proms debut (a performance of his saxophone concerto Stravaganza by Jess Gillam and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales), is long overdue.
The most amazing, haunting music, that is instantly recognizable and loved across the world.
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
Jenkins was commissioned to write Adiemus for a 1994 Delta Airlines commercial. The brief was to create an inspiring contemporary piece in a new-age style that reflected the airline's global image.
The album went on to sell over a million copies worldwide, and was followed by three equally successful Adiemus albums – Dances of Time, The Eternal Knot and Vocalise.
The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace (2000) reflects on the passing of ‘the most war-torn and destructive century in human history’ and looks forward in hope to a more peaceful future. It is dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo conflict, whose tragedy was unfolding as it was being composed.