Karl Jenkins is one of the most-performed composers in the world today. His The Armed Man is the most-performed oratorio in the English-speaking world today, and he is known for his many crossover achievements with the jazz-rock group Soft Machine, the choral ensemble Adiemus, film and video soundtracks, and the diamond commercial music from his Palladio.
This CD presents several of his concertos and is named for a concertante of flutes, keyboards, percussion and orchestra in three quirky movements. Over the Stone is a lovely six-movement concerto for two harps and orchestra, while La Folia pits a marimba soloist against a string orchestra. Most of the works dip into various world cultures including Indian and Latin American, but the general style to my ears lies somewhere between Carl Orff and Philip Glass. Like most of Jenkin’s music, these works are catchy in the extreme and should find wide acceptance with a variety of listeners – especially newbies to the classical world.
– John Sunier
