Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This is the first recording of the "Jerusalem version" of Sir John Tavener's "Lament For Jerusalem" that was re-worked by the composer for the Choir of London's debut tour of Jerusalem and the West Bank in December 2004. This is an appropriate piece of music for that troubled part of the world. Tavener has taken texts from the Old and New Testaments as well as Islamic love poems and synthesised a thought provoking and moving libretto. The foundation is Psalm 137 with the Jewish exiles weeping for the lost city of Jerusalem. Next the counter-tenor Peter Lawford sings lines from the prologue of Masnavi by Jalaluddin Rumi in an English translation made by the composer. Finally the soprano Angharad Gruffydd Jones sings the lament over Jerusalem first made by Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The text here is Greek but a translation is provided in the CD booklet. The music is tender, nostalgic and intense and takes us beyond the pain of the bloody city towards a fuller and deeper understanding of our banishment from our eternal home. The musicianship on the CD is outstanding and the budget price of this release means that it should be heard by the large audience it deserves.