Stabat Mater

Karl Jenkins' setting of the Stabat Mater includes several additional texts, in English, Latin, Greek, and Aramaic, including a poem by Rumi and newly written poetry, and the entire work lasts over an hour. The listener's response to this piece will depend on his or her appreciation of Jenkins' other works in a classical vein targeting a crossover audience. The Stabat Mater is recognizably "classical," using traditional chorus, orchestra, and soloist with conventional harmonic progressions, often related to Baroque practices, but the whole has a distinctly pop feeling, particularly in its heavy deployment of percussion. Jenkins also uses a number of non-western instruments (as well as an "ethnic" vocalist), and the influence of world music is never far away. Jenkins' aesthetic may lack sophistication or stylistic integrity, but the slick professionalism of his facile mix of genres can't be denied. The work receives a top-notch performance, with Jenkins leading the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus and the EMO Ensemble, playing and singing with passion and conviction. Mezzo-soprano Jurgita Adamonyte sings with warmth and deep expressiveness, and elevates the material through the dignity of her performance. The same could be said of vocalist Belinda Sykes, who brings a Middle Eastern sensibility to her solos. EMI's sound is clean, warm, and vibrant.