Sir Karl Jenkins, acclaimed as one of the most performed living composers in the world today, whose work was featured in the 2023 coronation ceremony of King Charles III, celebrated his 80th birthday last Saturday, Feb. 17.
In honor of his first year as an octogenarian, Classicalite is walking down memory lane in retrospect of Sir Jenkins' illustrious career.
Sir Karl Jenkins: Origin, Musical Pillars, and Career Milestones
With famed works like "The Armed Man," "Adiemus," and "Palladio" under his belt, alongside conducting a massive 700-strong orchestra for UNESCO's "One World" concert, Sir Jenkins is now undoubtedly a living legend when it comes to classical music.
Not to mention achieving the gargantuan milestone of staying in the UK's Classical Chart for over 1,000 weeks and being the recipient of 17 gold and platinum record awards.
That said, Sir Jenkins-like many notable names within the long canon of classical music-was first molded by a uniquely quaint musical heritage, alongside the occasional outside influences.
The maestro spoke of this origin story in an interview with Classic FM, recalling core moments of his life that informed his musical identity, from his South Walian upbringing to his brief stint as a member of a jazz-rock band called Soft Machine.
According to Jenkins himself, it was his father who gave the maestro his first piano lessons and inundated him with an ocean's worth of classical music in his hometown of Penclawdd in South Wales.
In time, with the help of his father's background as a local music teacher, organist, and chapel choirmaster, Jenkins would grow to love and develop a knack for music.
Jenkins described the whole ordeal as the usual "Germanic and Austrian tradition" of introducing history's famed masters to a budding musician, like Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Mahler, and even Wagner. For the maestro, this was his usual day-to-day musical rotation.
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How the Karl Jenkins Masterpiece 'Adiemus' Came to Be
From there, Jenkins would go on to get a master's degree at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music, before branching out to other "flavors" of music by joining a progressive rock band in 1972, dubbed Soft Machine.
During this stint, he would meet the musical act's originator Mike Ratledge. In 1976, Ratledge left the band, and alongside him, Jenkins came along. This allowed for the duo's musical partnership to bloom, even taking a name itself with "Jenkins Ratledge."
The pair did musical gigs left and right for a variety of clients and needs, from Levi's clothing to De Beers' gems. However, it was in 1994 that Jenkins achieved his musical breakthrough by working for a certain US airline called Delta.
The collaboration resulted in the "Adiemus" piece that would become an overnight worldwide hit. He recalled being astonished that it even reached places like Japan, where the airline's service didn't even cover.
The record's success overflowed through other forms like being a UK and EU chart-topper, and later on, it even opened opportunities for Jenkins to be signed to a record label, which eventually funded the production of a series of albums from the maestro.
Jenkins likened the appeal to something "spiritual," that even "secular people" could attune to. In fact, as per Jenkins, his Japanese audience thinks of "Adiemus" as a song of "healing."
In the wake of this success, Jenkins would then be commissioned once more in 1988 for a song that would later on be considered a masterpiece called "The Armed Man." The maestro said he made the piece as a wish for a "better future," as it was written amid the rising contentions of the Balkan war.
Today, Sir Jenkins shows no sign of slowing down, saying that classical music is his "hobby" and his "drug," an element of his life that will keep him "going."
