The composer who went viral at the coronation is breaking UK classical chart records
Renowned composer Sir Karl Jenkins has smashed chart records by spending more than 1,000 weeks on the UK Classical Artists’ Official Albums Chart.
The milestone was reached with Sir Karl’s popular fair, The Armed Man, commissioned by the Royal Armories in 1999 to mark the turn of the millennium.
This comes after the composer recently went viral at the king’s coronation when his striking performance drew public attention.
It has been jokingly suggested in the media and online that Sir Karl, with his distinctive mustache and glasses, is the Duchess of Sussex in heavy disguise who did not attend the ceremony.
Sir Karl said he was amused by the suggestions as he has had facial hair since he was 18 and that’s why people are now offering him drinks.
His work Tros Y Garreg, an arrangement of a Welsh folksong from his harp concerto Over The Stone, was performed as part of the music program before the coronation service.
The work was commissioned by Charles, then Prince of Wales, and included in recognition of the King’s long and deep-rooted relationship and allegiance to Wales.
The arrangement is included on the official Coronation album, which was recorded live and released through Decca Records on the same day as the coronation.
This week ‘The Armed Man’ made its 1000th appearance a week in the UK’s Official Classical Artists Album Chart.
Also known as the Peace Mass, it is an oratorio based on the 15th-century French poem L’homme arme, a reflection on the horrors of war and its aftermath.
The world premiere of “The Armed Man” took place in 2000 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, conducted by Sir Karl himself – and since then has seen almost 3,000 performances worldwide.
Sir Karl said: “When I wrote The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace in 1999, I could hardly have imagined that in 2023 we would be celebrating 1,000 weeks in the UK Classics Chart and nearly 3,000 performances worldwide.
“I am deeply honored that it has touched so many people over the years; Many thanks to the Royal Armories and Classic FM for commissioning me to write and to all who performed and heard my recording.
“I regret to say that the war and conflicts have not abated since I dedicated the piece to the victims in Kosovo, but we continue to make music in memory of those who have died and in the hope that humanity can find them.” a path to healing.”
On Friday Sir Karl also released the first single from forthcoming new work One World, which has been commissioned by the World Choir for Peace – entitled Sakura, Spring Has Come.
https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/prince-of-wales-duchess-charles-sussex-welsh-b1082479.html The composer who went viral at the coronation is breaking UK classical chart records
