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The Stanford Summer Chorus will perform at Stanford Memorial Church on Saturday, August 6 at 8:00 pm. The concert is titled “War and Remembrance,” and it features a premier of “The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace” by Karl Jenkins. This is the first complete performance of this work in the United States. Tickets are $10 general admission, $9 seniors, and $5 for students with student ID. Tickets are available at the door. For more concert information, please call the Stanford Concert Hotline at (650) 725-2787. The concert commemorates the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. The choir will also perform a set of spirituals on the theme of war and peace, composed by Moses Hogan, Rosephanye Powell and others.
“The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace” was composed in 2000 as a Millenium commission by the British Armouries. Dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo conflict, it is a powerful and compelling account of the descent into, and consequences of, war. Using the basis of a Christian Mass, Karl Jenkins has set both secular and sacred texts, inspired and guided by the 15th-century French song L'Homme Arme (see translation below), to create a major and unsettling choral work that raises questions and provokes poignant reflection. The work has received widespread acclaim in the UK, where it has been performed over 100 times.
L'homme armé (translation)
The armed man is to be feared.
Everywhere it has been proclaimed
That everyone should arm himself with an iron coat of mail.
According to one British newspaper, “Karl Jenkins is the most popular classical composer you've never heard of.” Born in Wales, he studied classical music at University College, Cardiff, and at the Royal Academy of Music. He spent his early career as a jazz and rock musician, before returning to classical music composition. Jenkins is probably best known for his Adiemus project, a series of albums which combines world music and classical music. The first three albums - Songs of Sanctuary, Cantata Mundi, and Dances of Time have found enormous success worldwide, achieving silver, gold and platinum awards globally. He has recently been made both a Fellow and an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, and was awarded an Order of the British Empire for services to British music.
Rafael Ornes is the Minister of Music at Valley Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley, and manages the Choral Public Domain Library, a large internet resource for free choral music (<http://www.cpdl.org/>http://www.cpdl.org). He studied choral conducting at San Jose State, and received a master's degree at Stanford University, while studying with Dr. William Ramsey and Gregory Wait. This is the sixth season that he has directed the Stanford Summer Chorus.