--- product_id: 2399134 title: "Armed Man: A Mass For Peace" price: "€ 1.35" currency: EUR in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.at/products/2399134-armed-man-a-mass-for-peace store_origin: AT region: Austria --- # Armed Man: A Mass For Peace **Price:** € 1.35 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Armed Man: A Mass For Peace - **How much does it cost?** € 1.35 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.at](https://www.desertcart.at/products/2399134-armed-man-a-mass-for-peace) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Karl Jenkins's The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace is a departure from his Adiemus recordings into the more conventional territory of large-scale choral and orchestral writing, though his customary passion for mixing languages remains in full force with texts in English, Latin, and French. Jenkins has said that The Armed Man was inspired by the "L'Homme armé" masses that were popular in the 16th century, and he makes this debt clear with passages written in a neat pastiche of Palestrina-style renaissance polyphony. There are also echoes of earlier and later styles, including plainchant, medieval ballads, John Barry-style horn writing (think Goldfinger ), and even a direct quote from Rigoletto (the choir imitates wind sounds at one point as in Act 3 of the Verdi opera). The smorgasbord manages to hold together, probably because Jenkins's obvious sincerity shines through every note. The London Philharmonic Orchestra plays beautifully, and treble Tristan Hambleton performs his solo with ethereal clarity. The National Youth Choir sings with vigor and accuracy, even if the young sopranos sound a little thin at the top of their range. If you liked the soundtrack to The Mission , this should press all the right buttons. --Warwick Thompson 2005 release. Dr. Karl Jenkins OBE B. Mus FRAM, educated at Gowerton Grammar School, Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music, London, is one of the most prolific and performed composers in the world today. The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace alone has been performed nearly four hundred times in recent years while his recorded output has attained seventeen gold or platinum disc awards. Jenkins has said that the Armed Man was inspired by the "L'Homme armé" masses that were popular in the 16th century, and he makes this debt clear with passages written in a neat pastiche of Palestrina-style renaissance polyphony. Review: Review of the Anniversary Edition - For some reason desertcart seems to be lumping the reviews for the Anniversary Edition together with those of the original edition, but they're pretty separate recordings. I first encountered The Armed Man in 2007, when I performed it with a choir in New Hampshire. It was a really moving experience, and the music stuck with me. The original release is decent. However, this new release is really beautifully done. The recording is much more crisp than that of the original, and so it's much easier to distinguish what the words actually are. In my uneducated opinion the engineering is spot-on, with great depth and balance. The orchestration is, put simply, gorgeous. As for the piece itself, it carries a tremendous amount of passion. So do many other pieces of classical music, but this is more "accessible" as others have noted: the passion can be felt and appreciated by everyone regardless of how knowledgeable they are about music. Jenkins does an amazing job of using different harmonies and melodies to embody atmospheres that are exciting, macabre, sad, hopeful, despairing — to downright uncomfortable, like the screaming in "Charge!". Even without the lyrics it would be easy to feel what's "happening" in the music. I wouldn't call this piece cerebral, but it certainly makes you think. My only criticisms are that some of the lyrics are a little cliché and I'm a lyrics snob. Also, the vocalists are clearly classically-trained and that's maybe a little too evident in some places for my liking: the baritone's perfectly-rolled 'r's detract a little from the emotionality and genuineness of "Angry Flames", for instance. Those are both tiny things to nit-pick. I would highly recommend this piece as a way of presenting classical music in a way that's relatable to those who may not have had much exposure to it. I'd also recommend it to anyone who's a sucker for emotion. I just bought this recording yesterday and have already listened to it 5 times all the way through. It's also really tempting to sing along since the lyrics and melodies are clear and easy to understand. How often can you say that about classical? Review: Simply wonderful and moving - What a wonderful way to remember the last century! What a way to meditate on the prospect of peace or war in this one. This selects from the styles and melodies most primal and meaningful. At least it seems so while listening to them. I first became familiar with Karl Jenkins Mass when it was selected for Sacred Concert on Sunday morning and was so taken with it I almost stayed in the car to hear the end rather than go into church from the parking lot! I searched for it at our local libraries that afternoon and not finding it there took the plunge to order it from desertcart to add to my already overstuff desertcart furnished house. With the way this century is going so far this mass has good reason to be played over and over again. ## Images ![Armed Man: A Mass For Peace - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81nfiBsZGWL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review of the Anniversary Edition *by R***S on October 15, 2014* For some reason Amazon seems to be lumping the reviews for the Anniversary Edition together with those of the original edition, but they're pretty separate recordings. I first encountered The Armed Man in 2007, when I performed it with a choir in New Hampshire. It was a really moving experience, and the music stuck with me. The original release is decent. However, this new release is really beautifully done. The recording is much more crisp than that of the original, and so it's much easier to distinguish what the words actually are. In my uneducated opinion the engineering is spot-on, with great depth and balance. The orchestration is, put simply, gorgeous. As for the piece itself, it carries a tremendous amount of passion. So do many other pieces of classical music, but this is more "accessible" as others have noted: the passion can be felt and appreciated by everyone regardless of how knowledgeable they are about music. Jenkins does an amazing job of using different harmonies and melodies to embody atmospheres that are exciting, macabre, sad, hopeful, despairing — to downright uncomfortable, like the screaming in "Charge!". Even without the lyrics it would be easy to feel what's "happening" in the music. I wouldn't call this piece cerebral, but it certainly makes you think. My only criticisms are that some of the lyrics are a little cliché and I'm a lyrics snob. Also, the vocalists are clearly classically-trained and that's maybe a little too evident in some places for my liking: the baritone's perfectly-rolled 'r's detract a little from the emotionality and genuineness of "Angry Flames", for instance. Those are both tiny things to nit-pick. I would highly recommend this piece as a way of presenting classical music in a way that's relatable to those who may not have had much exposure to it. I'd also recommend it to anyone who's a sucker for emotion. I just bought this recording yesterday and have already listened to it 5 times all the way through. It's also really tempting to sing along since the lyrics and melodies are clear and easy to understand. How often can you say that about classical? ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Simply wonderful and moving *by W***N on January 11, 2007* What a wonderful way to remember the last century! What a way to meditate on the prospect of peace or war in this one. This selects from the styles and melodies most primal and meaningful. At least it seems so while listening to them. I first became familiar with Karl Jenkins Mass when it was selected for Sacred Concert on Sunday morning and was so taken with it I almost stayed in the car to hear the end rather than go into church from the parking lot! I searched for it at our local libraries that afternoon and not finding it there took the plunge to order it from Amazon to add to my already overstuff Amazon furnished house. With the way this century is going so far this mass has good reason to be played over and over again. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is about the vinyl recording *by D***N on August 7, 2020* For some reason, the beautiful Blue Ray, done in Germany with a huge chorus and a huge crowd and films projected behind the chorus did not use the marching machine in the intro or the ending. It definitely adds something sinister at the beginning. That is why I bought this, as it was the version I first heard on SiriusXM Symphony Hall. I definitely recommend this as the definitive recording, even though Sir Jenkins conducted the Blue Ray version. The full libretto, which I also wanted, is also included, which the Blue Ray does not include. If you can play vinyl, get this one 1 ## Frequently Bought Together - Karl Jenkins: The Armed Man - A Mass For Peace - Adiemus - Songs Of Sanctuary - The Very Best Of Karl Jenkins --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.at/products/2399134-armed-man-a-mass-for-peace](https://www.desertcart.at/products/2399134-armed-man-a-mass-for-peace) --- *Product available on Desertcart Austria* *Store origin: AT* *Last updated: 2026-10-27*