Soul Music

BBC Radio 4

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact

Categories: Music

Listen to the last episode:

Sir Karl Jenkins' Benedictus is the penultimate movement from his anti-war mass, The Armed Man. Written twenty-five years ago this year and performed over three thousand times, Sir Karl dedicated it to the victims of the 1998-1999 Kosovo war. It was originally commissioned by The Royal Armouries Museum and premiered for the millennium.

The Armed Man as a whole reflects the descent into war, but the movement of Benedictus' emerges as a message of hope and peace in the aftermath. Benedictus is recognised for its haunting cello theme, in a register unusually high for this resonant instrument. The cello solo gradually expands into a full choir and orchestra.

Benedictus has given solace to listeners through some of the most difficult moments of their lives. We hear some of their stories. Featuring:

British Armed Forces Veteran Michael Young, who served in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan; Reverand Charles Thody, Priest in Lincolnshire and chaplain for the NHS; Dane Coetzee, cellist in Cape Town, South Africa; And the composer of Benedictus himself, Sir Karl Jenkins and his wife, Lady Carol Jenkins.

Producer: Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol Sound Engineer: Ilse Lademann Editor: Emma Harding