Customer Reviews
Superb! - By: Second Basses rule the wold!, 10 Jun 2008 
Some of the previous Reviews seem to imply that this is just Karl Jenkins again (Ho Hum). I wonder if they would say the same about Beethoven "Oh I've heard all nine Symphonies & they are all terribly Beethoven". Well yes & that is their glory as are the works of Karl Jenkins. I have sung both the 'Armed Man' & the 'Requiem' & both moved me beyond measure. I imagine that this will do the same when my Choral Society (inevitably) performs it. Like most Of Jenkins Music the first listening gives the result of "very nice but I am not sure what it's all about'. The second listening gets the juices flowing & by the third listening you are totally hooked. The harmonies of the Ave Verum & the use of Arabic for the Incantation are positively ethereal. Yes there are echoes of the Requiem & the Armed man but this piece is all the better for that. Just stick with it folks & you will see what I mean.
Buy it - but you won't be surprised - By: Cashmere Bedsox, 08 Jun 2008 
Before you music snobs have a go & tell me that Jenkins is commercial & shallow, I don't expect you to even be reading this review. These notes are for listeners who already appreciate Jenkins & are wondering whether to buy this new album.
Stabat Mater builds on & has overtones of the more familiar works. But it isn't a step forwardin the same way that The Armed Man was (andin my view, Jenkins will never write a better piece of music). What it certainly does do is deliver some real emotion. The album is based on a poem about how Mary felt as her son was crucified. I'm not religious, but I am a Dad. There are times when you listen to this piece where your thoughts will turn to your own children. Nothing can convey how a mother would feel watching her son tortured, but at times whilst listening to this, you a certainly moved by her lament.
Terrific album - you won't be disappointed.
An easy target - By: A music fan, 07 Jun 2008 
I heard this piece performed live last night, & my response is based both on the CD & that concert. My genuine reponse is probably the most frustrating of all - apathy. If this were exceptionally good or bad, I would be a lot happier. It is neither.
This is not classical musicin any proper sense. It is easy-listening pseudo-classical music with fairly primitive, unimaginative orchestral writing. The vocal writing appears aimed mainly at amateur choirs. As has been noted elsewhere, by far the most interesting parts of this work are those from texts other than the Stabat Mater. The response to the textsin these parts speaks of a musician genuinely engaged. Unfortunately the remainder speaks of someone who has listened to too many orchestral soundtracks, & believes that is how the western music vocal tradition of the last 400 years should go. I had many imagesin my mind during this work - mainly hobbits - & not muchin the way of a grieving mother, & the many possibilities that would entail.
What can i say - this is genuinely easy to listen to, & contains many memorable tunes (not melodies). Well done Karl Jenkins, To everyone else - be clear on what this is, & what this is not.
Another Classic - By: I. H. C. Mellor, 02 May 2008 My favourite Karl Jenkins work has to be 'The Armed Man', however, I do also enjoy this new work very much. It has a range of different moods & transports the listener from one side of the world to another. Loads of classic Jenkinsin this music, you can hear some of the inspiration coming from some of hie earlier works. However you can also hear new ideas & influences from his travels to Eastern Europe.
Overall, a very moving piece of music, one that I am sure will become very popular.
A Bitter Disappointment - By: P. Fogarty, 04 Apr 2008 I attended the Premier at Liverpool Cathedral & was bitterly disappointed. Far from being a single piece that relates the Stabat Mater to comtemporary themes, it feels more like a repetitive & unimaginative setting of the Stabat, interrupted by more emotional pieces on other texts. It is clear that Jenkins's heart isin these other sections, which vary from alarming to heart-breaking but are never dull (hence three stars, not one). The rest is just "Jenkins by numbers": strong, syncopated percussion backed by heavy strings & urgent brasses, long crescendo, then timp roll & gong. Repeat without variation for 45 minutes. You've heard this before & may well like it. It does little for me.
