The Full Works Concert - Tuesday 28 October, 8pm

Jane Jones presents the world premiere of a new work by Karl Jenkins, titled 'The Healer'.

The latest choral work by Karl Jenkins, The Healer - a Cantata for St Luke - received its world premiere on 16 October at St. Luke's church in the village of Grayshott, Hampshire.

The 40-minute piece was commissioned by Grayshott Concerts to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their ambitious and imaginative concert series in the village.

Read: How I wrote…The Healer by Karl Jenkins >

The premiere features the Excelsis choir and Marylebone Camerata, conducted by the composer.

Jenkins has described how the text deals with healing, not only in the Christian and spiritual sense, but also with secular issues such as the ‘healing’ of our planet. In addition to setting parts of St Luke’s Gospel there are extracts from the Book of Common Prayer, a poem by William Blake, and contributions especially written for this work by Terry Waite CBE, Vivien Harrison and Carol Barratt. 

The work is scored for soprano, baritone, mixed chorus, oboe, strings and percussion. As in Jenkins' Stabat Mater, in order to evoke the atmosphere and sound of the ancient holy land, he has occasionally used two percussion instruments associated with that part of the world, the riq and the darbuca. There is also an important role for the solo oboe doubling cor anglais, which is featured throughout, echoing the ancient indigenous double reed instruments of the region.

The programme also includes the 'Benedictus' from The Armed Man, Palladio and other Karl Jenkins compositions.

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