One of the more unlikely Mersey sounds to emerge from Liverpool in its year as European Capital of Culture is a stream of very earnest, very mystical new choral pieces. John Tavener's Requiem has already come and gone in a whirl of multi-faith chanting. Paul McCartney's Ecce Cor Meum, a lament for Linda, arrives in his home city in May. And on Saturday Liverpool's vast Anglican cathedral was packed - some achievement - for the premiere of Karl Jenkins's Stabat Mater.

You have to say that Jenkins has no fear - or perhaps no shame. The 13th-century Latin poem depicting Mary standing at the foot of the Cross has already been set to music - more than satisfactorily, most would say - by everyone from Palestrina and Pergolesi to Poulenc and Penderecki (just to mention the Ps).

But Jenkins does put a unique stamp on everything he touches. It's just not a stamp that I want to add to my collection. I find his harmonies banal, his endless sequences mind-numbing, his expressive range limited to hushed, hymn-like prayers or glorified calypso choruses, his one-more-time codas interminable, and his tunes mushy and often derivative.

In Liverpool, however, I seemed to be in a minority of one. At the end of the performance, by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir under the composer's baton, everyone else stood and applauded warmly - probably the liveliest moment in the evening.

What Jenkins does well is craft a seductive blend of instruments and voices. The Latin texts (embellished by Arabic writings as well as a desperately sentimental poem by Jenkins's wife, Carol Barratt) were often set over a gentle pat-a-pat of Western and Eastern percussion. Wistful lines for cor anglais or mezzo-soprano (Jurgita Adamonyte) were floated over almost static string chords. The versatile Belinda Sykes added Arab-inflected singing and haunting solos on the duduk. It was all very sweet, and doubtless sincerely meant. I'm sure the CD will sell by the thousand. But I found myself losing the will to live.

Earlier, under Ian Tracey, a whittled-down choir had sung two Bach motets with plenty of vim, even if the ensemble weren't the last word in precision. Sixty seconds of Bach lifted my spirits more than 60 minutes of Jenkins.

Karl Jenkins's Stabat Mater will be broadcast on Classic FM on March 26

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