ESSENTIAL TAVENER / VARIOUS

TAVENER: John Tavener - A Portrait (MCCLEERY)

The Essential John Tavener

This beautiful disc juxtaposes the work of two composers whose names are frequently placed together for their combination of minimalist and early music elements as well as their Orthodox spirituality. Estonian Arvo Pärt has the sparer style, elements pared down to the most basic chords, notes alternated like bells against a quiet, static background, while Englishman Tavener is the more outwardly ecstatic, using winding, chant-influenced melodies to achieve a kind of rapture.
Andrew Parrott's Taverner Choir, famed for their performances of early music, gives oustanding performances of these modern works with ancient roots, providing the perfect, clear, non-vibrato sound for the Pärt, while also delivering the more tremulous expression needed for the Tavener. A highlight of the program is the seldom-heard 'Canticle of the Mother of God' by Tavener, an early piece that actually employs serial methods yet clearly points in the direction of his later music.

Classical Music

Tavener: Fall and Resurrection

Svyati - Steven Isserlis plays the music of John Tavener

This important release once again demonstrates Steven Isserlis's deep commitment to the music of John Tavener. The realization of the album is movingly detailed in a booklet note which provides an eloquent counterpoint and commentary to the performances.

Despite the mystic beauty of his music, John Tavener's place in Western music is a controversial one. His desire to create musical ikons for a time in which he believes 'man has lost his belief not only in God, but also in himself' is provocative. Yet part of the attraction of his music must surely arise from its symbolic nature, a reflection of his deeply-held Orthodox faith. This collection covers a wide range of Tavener's celebrated choral output and includes his immediately popular setting of William Blake's The Lamb, and the luminously spiritual, Ikon of Light.

Re-issue of COR16015 Ikon of Light with a newly commissioned booklet essay. Sir John Tavener was one of Britain’s leading composers of the last 50 years. To commemorate his extraordinary life and works The Sixteen is re-releasing its acclaimed recording Ikon of Light in a special limited edition slip-cased version with a newly commissioned booklet essay. The album was originally conceived for Sir John’s 50th birthday and covers a wide range of his celebrated choral output including Eonia, which Sir John especially requested The Sixteen record, alongside Ikon of Light, The Lamb and The Tyger.

This celebratory collection of music by the late John Tavener brings together performances by Canty, The Wallace Collection, Scottish Ensemble and Elena Riu. Tavener wrote ...Depart in Peace… following his father’s passing. Trisagion was premiered by John Wallace in 1985, and later recorded with his own ensemble, The Wallace Collection. Written especially for them, Canty gave the world-premiere recording of Two Hadiths. The title work Ypakoë, a series of meditations on the death of Jesus, premiered on Elena Riu’s ‘Piano Icons for the 21st Century’, a Gramophone ‘Critics’ Choice’ in 2000.

The world premiere of John Tavernier's Fall and Resurrection, filmed in London's St. Paul's Cathedral. This performance was dedicated to and performed in the presence of Charles, Prince of Wales.

In The Protecting Veil Tavener strives to capture some of what he considers to be the almost cosmic power of the Mother of God. The cello represents the Mother of God and never stops singing throughout and one can think of the strings as a gigantic extension of her unending song. The music falls into eight continuous sections and use is made of the eight Byzantine tones. Various Feasts inspired Tavener as he composed; the second, for instance, is related to her birth, the third to the Annunciation, the fourth to the Incarnation, the fifth (unaccompanied) to her lament at the foot of the cross, the sixth to the Resurrection, the seventh to her Dormition, and the first and last sections to her cosmic beauty and power over a shattered world. The Protecting Veil ends with a musical evocation of the tears of the Mother of God. The final section completes the palindromic effect of the work as a whole by returning to the mood of the opening, but with the recorded soprano here replacing the string orchestra and the grand organ taking over from the Hammond organ, alternating it's more and more spasmodic entries with those of the piano. The music unfolds as a canon in sixteen parts, each set of entries being introduced by bells and by glides on solo violins. Superimposed throughout are the voices of four small children saying their prayers (in Latin, French, German and English) and gradually and successively falling asleep. The canon dissolves into a thirty-two line slide (the soprano in sixteen parts with herself, together with sixteen solo violins) and the work ends as the last child falls asleep and the last of the thirty-two 'voices' resolves.

John Tavener' piano works are less well known than his large orchestral, vocal and choral works, yet at times seem to mark his stylistic and spiritual development on a more personal level.

This special box contains all four of Ralph van Raat's Naxos recordings plus an exclusive interview CD which includes music selected by Ralph specifically for this boxed set. Also on this bonus CD, Ralph speaks about his musical choices for the set, as well as his own playing in an exclusive interview with Naxos Classical Music Spotlight's very own Raymond Bisha. Featured composers include: Tavener, Adams, Rzewski, Lindberg, Takemitsu, Ives, Bolcom, Messiaen, and more. 1. Adams, J.: Piano Music (Complete) 2. Rzewski, F.: People United will never be Defeated (The) (Van Raat) 3. Tavener: Piano Works 4. Lindberg, M.: Piano Music (Van Raat) - Klavierstuck / Play I / Jubilees / Twine / Etudes 5. Artist Profile Series - Van Raat, Ralph