Reviewed by John Irvine

Most contemporary classical music is merely a succession of notes on paper, an intellectual pursuit akin to a chess problem or a crossword puzzle, which tickles the fancy of music critics and college professors, but continues to baffle and alienate ordinary music lovers. Tavener's music, however, works on a different level - speaking directly to the heart and soul, striking chords of appreciation and accessibility with lovers of music, appealing to their sense of beauty, melody and harmony. The fact that his music seems to go nowhere, and in no particular hurry, coupled with the religious overtones of titles, themes and sleeve notes have ensured that Tavener has achieved the position of being the most important of the living composers and certainly the most popular one, a fact borne out by the recent Ikons festival to celebrate Tavener's 50th birthday. It was there that I heard these works for String Quartet in the concert hall and now we have the privilege of hearing them on disc for the first time. "The Last Sleep Of The Virgin" is described as 'a veneration for string quartet and handbells' and depicts the death and burial of the Mother of God by the Apostles. It was written in 1991 just before Tavener underwent major heart surgery and the music seemed to come to him from an unearthly place a great distance off. Performers are directed to play 'at the threshold of audibility', an experience which works better in a darkened concert hall than on a CD. Despite the beauty of the combined strings and bells, the piece is too insubstantial to withstand repeated playing. Not so "The Hidden Treasure" which improves with each listening and each time reveals more and more of its secrets. Whereas "The Last Sleep" is about atmospherics and little else, "The Hidden Treasure" uses the quartet to create a stunning variety of sound textures and the dynamics inherent in a quartet ensemble are fully explored. As in most of Tavener's music the cello dominates and leads us through a 30 minute meditation on the meaning of the death and resurrection of Christ. The set is rounded off by string quartet versions of two of Arvo Part's compositions - "Fratres" and "Summa" - beautifully and satisfyingly played by the Chilingirian Quartet. An impressive recording well worth investigating.