Choir Of St George's Chapel - Sacred Music

Thursday 1st April 1993
Choir Of St George's Chapel - Sacred Music

STYLE: Choral
RATING 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 14321-
LABEL: Hyperion 66464
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by John Irvine

This is a collection of sacred vocal music written by Tavener over the last eight years in which he displays his incredible gift for creating music of such beautiful tone and harmony that it demands a response from the listener. As with his other music, tone structures and arrangements are from within the Greek Orthodox tradition, as exemplified by the 20 minute "Ode Of St Andrew" with text taken straight from Tavener's beloved Greek Church. All of the pieces are for unaccompanied voices only, except for "God Is With Us", which, after a choral crescendo on the words "Christ is born", is joined by a massive organ chord to emphasise the triumphal statement and heighten the emotion of the piece. Remain unmoved at your peril. Personally, I regard Tavener as one of THE major composers to emerge in the late 20th century either within or without the religious camp, and I'm glad that he chose the religious path, because he has provided music of timeless grace for us to enjoy. The church should be thankful that music of such high quality is still being written. Of the 12 pieces represented here, my favourites are "The Tyger", with strong rhythms and creative responsive singing depicting the power and majesty of the animal; and "2 Hymns To The Mother Of God", which present in vocal form themes similar to those in "The Protecting Veil". They are quite stunningly beautiful. This is a well thought out collection, performed to perfection by the choir of St Georges, and is well worth acquiring. Essential listening.

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.

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