Pour la même raison, le contrepoint souvent dense ne convient pas non plus à des oreilles distraites. En revanche, pour l’auditeur attentif c’est une expérience hautement gratifiante, l’écriture de Jenkins étant ciselée avec la plus grande adresse sans jamais céder à la facilité de la formule. Dreyfus estime que la Fantasia no 5 en est un exemple évident, mais on pourrait aussi bien faire remarquer l’atmosphère de la Fantasia no 1 qui passe des rythmes de danse syncopés et enjoués à une austère gravité.

The 12 fantasies, two In nomines and two pavans included here belong firmly in the former category. In a characteristically entertaining note, Phantasm’s director Laurence Dreyfus makes that the point that this is not, as is sometimes suggested, music for amateurs, the contrapuntal writing demanding equal facility and technique in all six parts.

For the same reason, the often-dense counterpoint means that neither is it music for idle listening. Yet for the attentive listener it makes for a highly rewarding experience, since Jenkins’ writing is crafted with the utmost skill and is never formulaic. Dreyfus cites Fantasia 5 as an obvious example, but one might equally note that Fantasia 1 moves from a mood of playfulness and syncopated dance rhythms to one of austere gravity. Those unfamiliar with the music might turn first to the two pavans, particularly the one in F, a relatively familiar piece with a lovely opening strain that taps into that peculiarly English vein of melancholy.