John Tavener - A Portrait: His Works, His Life, His Words

Saturday 1st May 2004
John Tavener - A Portrait: His Works, His Life, His Words
John Tavener - A Portrait: His Works, His Life, His Words

STYLE: Classical
RATING 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 9456-
LABEL: Naxos 855815253
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 2
RELEASE DATE: 2004-02-02
RRP: £9.99

Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

If you have any interest in 20th century classical music you probably own 'The Protecting Veil' and 'Song For Athene' and if you enjoy contemporary choral music you may well know 'The Lamb' and 'The Tyger'. All are present here, although sadly the 'Veil' is only a 15-minute extract. Taken as a whole this is as good an introduction to Tavener’s work as you could get and, in addition, there is a world premiere recording of 'Prayer Of The Heart' written for and sung by Björk accompanied by the Brodsky Quartet. This is a setting of the Orthodox 'Jesus Prayer' and suits Björk’s voice perfectly. On its own this one track is indispensable for all who have an interest in Tavener’s music. As a bonus there is a 45 minute recorded interview of the composer's reflections on his life and work. Given that Tavener is such a prolific writer and that some of his works last hours rather than minutes any compilation is going to have to be highly selective or result in a box set. This double CD with excellent booklet is a genuine bargain, even at twice the price.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

Be the first to comment on this article

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.

NAVIGATION
CONNECT WITH CROSS RHYTHMS
SIGNUP

Connect with Cross Rhythms by signing up to our email mailing list

A Step Change...
Cross Rhythms Media Training Centre
MORE ARTICLES
DISCOGRAPHY
ARTIST PROFILES
Artists & DJs A-Z
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
Or keyword search

 

PRAYER ROOMS
Intercession Room
Care for other people and shake heaven in our Intercession Room