"On 21 October 1966, 116 children and 28 adults died when a coal spoil tip engulfed Pantglas primary school in Aberfan, Wales. Two years ago, I was approached to compose a work commemorating the 50th anniversary of the disaster. I was raised in Penclawdd, Aberfan was only 40 miles away; the disaster seemed local. Paradoxically, dealing with a subject that lies so deep in the soul of Welsh people was both harrowing and uplifting. It was made easier, more rewarding by Mererid Hopwood, the brilliant Welsh poet, who has written a remarkable libretto that was the peg on which I hung my musical coat. Cantata Memoria is both music and a poem. The text is multilingual: English, Welsh and Latin (from the Mass), while also referencing words in many other languages which symbolise how this memorial is at once both specific and universal. The first section deals with the disaster and its aftermath; the second moves from darkness to light, reliving memories and celebrating childhood." (Karl Jenkins in The Guardian)
