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KARL JENKINS – STELLA NATALIS – JOY TO THE WORLD
Kate Royal – soprano
Alison Balsom – trumpet
Tenebrae – choir
Adiemus Singers
Marylebone Camerata – orchestra
Alison Halstead – chorister
EMI CD 50999 6 88648 2 8

“As a composer, he recognises no boundaries – musical, commercial, geographical or cultural. His is a way of thinking and composing that is perfectly in tune with the spirit of the times.”  Classic fM Magazine (UK)

Karl Jenkins is certainly the classically trained master of global ‘crossover’ and possibly the only ‘crossover’ contemporary composer who seldom raises the ire of the classical music fraternity. In this release he has composed a new work for choir and orchestra, Stella Natalis, as a gift to music lovers of all stylistic and spiritual backgrounds for the 2009 festive season. Its coupling, Joy To The World, features arrangements by Jenkins of carols from around the world in keeping with the composer’s inclusive and universal approach to the message of music.

‘Stella Natalis’ (in Latin) means ‘star of birth’ or ‘star of origin’ and the music conveys the Christmas message of peace, goodwill, compassion and a new beginning. The influences are broad-based using Zulu texts, Hindu gods and the Old Testament texts. Jenkins  as always, is creative and sure-footed in his orchestration but Stella Natalis as a whole comes across as disjointed and a little bit of a ‘hotch-potch.’ Of course there are brilliant individual items and  the musical performances are fresh and inspired, it’s great entertainment but not to be taken too seriously.

Joy to the World consists of a set of idiosyncratic arrangements of carols from England, Germany, France, Spain, the West Indies and Afro-America. Great entertainment for Christmas.

by Mike Ford