Manipulating our emotions

What music springs to mind at the mention of the word ‘diamonds’? Chances are you either get Nicole Kidman swinging across the Moulin Rouge singing Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend, or else that tune.

All I can do is compose the music as I feel it and be true to myself

Well, that tune happens to be one of the most iconic pieces of music written over the past 50 years, and its composer happens to be ‘the most performed living composer in the world’. It’s Karl Jenkins’ Palladio, and he’s coming to Malta.

Jenkins is one of those composers whose music is instantly recognisable and accessible. Even his critics have to give him that, and one critic went as far as to label his music “emotionally manipulative”.

“What a wonderful compliment to a composer, that he can change people’s emotions by the music he writes,” replies Jenkins.

He was brought up with a standard musical education, having gone through all the obligatory steps of classical music education. But his work in media and jazz meant he was exposed to many varied styles and techniques. Anyone who has heard Adiemus (not just the famous opening, but the whole six-part project) will realise the immense diversity of influences Jenkins’ music has.

It is also very firmly grounded in classical Western tradition, and yet unmistakably original.

Does he consider his music as multicultural?

“I have always hated labelling, but sometimes one is forced to put a badge on something… my tastes are broad and are reflected in the music I write. I do consider my music global and multicultural.”

With due permission, I would be bolder and label his music ‘universal’. Take the famous Palladio already mentioned earlier. It is clearly built on the baroque concerto grosso, but to label Jenkins’ music as neo-baroque would be missing the point completely.

“Palladio was a one-off; something I fancied doing. All I can do is compose the music as I feel it and be true to myself. It would be fatal to second guess what people want, and that would be something I would never consider anyway.

“I am fortunate in that I write music that moves people.”

Jenkins’ music goes beyond being simply an aural delight. It is also music that is imbued with a positivity that is often lacking in contemporary music. Jenkins also steers clear from the escapism that has ruined many late 20th-century artistic movements (including the Hippie and New Age movements).

The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace is a good example. Despite being musically accessible it is far from frivolous. It is an exhortation for world peace built around the Catholic Mass. It is to this idea of peace that Jenkins turns once more for inspiration with his new work The Peacemakers.

The Peacemakers, which receiv­ed its world premiere last year, goes a step further than The Armed Man. It sets to music words by a wide spectrum of authors, including Ghandi, Mandela, St Francis of Assisi, the Qu’ran, the Bible and others. Unlike The Armed Man, it has no underlying narrative, focusing more on the meaning of each text.

What is even more interesting is that this universal voice has not grown out of the establishment, but rather, in spite of it. Jenkins makes light of the fact that he is the most performed living composer. He is very proud of his humble Welsh roots, and does admit, almost apologetically, that he is “much loved there”. But that is just about it.

So, the next time you hear that ‘diamond’ music, think less of Kidman on a swing, and more of Jenkins. And if you are curious to see him, and hear his music, then I can suggest going to the Malta premiere of The Peacemakers, with Jenkins himself conducting the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Peacemakers will be performed on May 11 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta. Tickets can be booked by calling 2124 6389 or by sending an e-mail to bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt, or visit www.maltaorchestra.com.