THE ARMED MAN

Since its premiere in 2000 for the Millennium celebrations, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins has become a global phenomenon. By 2011, the work had gone viral, with more than 1,100 performances all over the world, which is about two performances a week taking place somewhere on the planet. Between 2009 and 2011 there had been 500 performances alone. This piece is both a delight for singers and a powerful, moving experience for audiences. The emotional and spiritual impact of this work can be life changing.

A rare synthesis of the universal themes of war and peace, dramatic multi-cultural words, and rich, accessible music make this possible. The work takes us on a journey through the threat of conflict, fear, the horrors of war, then gratitude, remembrance and hope.

Karl Jenkins has an enthusiasm for incorporating diverse texts and musical styles. His earlier works, known for their eclecticism, became cross-over sensations, topping the charts of both pop and classical music.

Musically, the work combines various elements: military marches, African rhythms, jazz harmonies, pop music repetition, ravishing melodies, and classical forms. Far more than only the words of the mass, Jenkins interweaves poetry throughout the work from many sources, including Hindu texts.  

The Armed Man begins with the 15th-century French fighting song, l’Homme Armé doit on doubter, or “The Armed Man Should Be Feared,” which has been used as the melodic theme in hundreds of musical works for over 600 years since the Renaissance, giving the work its vigor and drive.

On the theme of world peace that transcends cultural differences, and originally dedicated to the victims of the war in Kosovo, KSS first presented this work to mark the 70^th anniversary of the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima in 1945. It is performed this season on Remembrance Day and by popular demand.

The words of Tennyson, “Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace” and of Revelation 21:4, affirming that change is possible, that the old ways can be overcome, indeed, must be overcome, provide the end to this powerful work that continues to touch thousands of listeners and performers alike.

RUN TIME: 90 minutes; no intermission