The last time renowned Welsh composer and conductor Sir Karl Jenkins performed in Mumbai in 2009, he collaborated with Kazakhstan virtuoso violinist Marat Bisengaliev, music director of the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI). They played Jenkins’ ‘Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary’ and ‘Sarikiz’, a specially composed violin concerto.
The two musicians have kept in touch. Earlier this year, they began working on Jenkins’ latest piece ‘The Universe’, the premiere of which will take place today, with SOI accompaniment. “India is a magical place and besides Mumbai, we took in Rajasthan as well on the last tour. We added the bansuri and tabla to the original piece and the response was fantastic,” recalls Jenkins.
How did ‘The Universe’ come about? The composer responds, “Very simple actually. I was commissioned by Marat to compose it for the Expo 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. There we used an indigenous folk instrument. We decided to play it in Mumbai but here a bansuri will be used.”
For Jenkins, this amalgamation of musical cultures isn’t new. Though trained formally in Western classical music, he has drawn influences from jazz, folk and world music. Take the flute, for instance. From the Japanese shakuhachi to the Indian bansuri, from various traditional European makes to the quena, rooted in the South American Andes mountains, he has experimented with all.
“It all comes from the same 12 notes,” he explains. “It's all the same for me. I want all music to sound the same without being bolted artificially with disparate elements together. It has to have true integrity.”
Part of Jenkins’ versatility comes through his origins. After learning and playing the oboe in Wales, he studied music from the Cardiff University and Royal College of Music, London. With the bands Nucleus and Soft Machine, he had trysts with jazz and progressive rock.
“It was fun but challenging,” he recalls. “So many jazz musicians were playing with rock rhythms. The purists had another view but I have had enough of them,” he jokes. Soon, he got into composing advertising jingles. He says, “Many famous directors like Ridley and Tony Scott, Alan Parker and Hugh Hudson were also making commercials. That’s where I learnt to use various sounds and keep it short and direct. And that’s how I discovered new instruments.”
Jenkins achieved fame through his seven-album series Adiemus, released in 1995, The Armed Man - A Mass For Peace, an anti-war theme premiered in 2000, and the 2005 work Requiem, which blends Japanese death poetry with traditional Catholic verse. What has been his approach to composing? He says, “I plan the broad structure and then hit around the keyboard with an idea I like. Then I work around it and the final score is a mix of my head and keyboard. Then it goes places.”
Naturally, Jenkins is looking forward to his two shows in Mumbai. He says, “‘The Universe’ consists of 14 pieces with references to the universe and the four elements of nature. Working with Marat has been a special experience and we are both looking forward to the shows.” This surely should be a highlight of this year’s SOI autumn season.
Karl Jenkins will perform with the SOI today and September 23 at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point at 7 p.m; more details are at ncpamumbai.com
The author is a freelance music writer