Since December 20, 2024, a new recording of Vladimir Spivakov and the NPR, i.e. Requiem by Carl Jenkins, has appeared on streaming platforms. The work, written in 2005, is an astonishing example of interweaving Oriental and Western traditions. The composer dedicated the opus to the memory of his father. Following Fauré’s and Duruflé’s patterns Jenkins added Pie Jesu and In Paradisum to the traditional structure of the Catholic Mass and made the liturgical Latin text interact with lyrical Japanese poems on life and death (haiku). The score is written for an unusual arrangement: four soloists (soprano, treble, Japanese flute shakuhachi and harp) and orchestra. Some oriental instruments are included along with Western traditional ones into the orchestration, notably darabuka, daiko and other exotic drums.

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