John Tavener – Innocence (Martin Neary)
John Tavener – Innocence (Martin Neary)
1 The Lamb 3:53 2 Innocence 24:23 3 The Tyger 6:05 4 Annunciation 5:56 Two Hymns To The Mother Of God 5 Hymn To The Mother Of God 2:42 6 Hymn For The Dormition Of The Mother Of God 4:56 Little Requiem For Father Malachy Lynch (10:54) 7a Requiem 7b Dies Irae 7c Lacrymosa - Dies Irae 7d Libera Me 7e Requiem 8 Song For Athene 7:11 Patricia Rozario – soprano Leigh Nixon – tenor Graham Titus – bass Alice Neary -cello Martin Baker – organ Charles Fullbrook – bells Westminster Abbey Choir English Chamber Orchestra Martin Neary – conductor
Innocence, the longest work here, is the least successful. The bulk of the piece is a catalog of cruelties inflicted by humankind on innocents--mostly children--set to harsh but generally monotonous music. But Patricia Rozario is spectacular in a three-octave solo part, and the ending, with an ethereal chorus and bells depicting the salvation awaiting suffering innocents, is magical. The shorter pieces are deservedly among Tavener's most famous. The gentle, beguiling The Lamb and the powerful Tyger, settings of poems by William Blake, make an ideal pair. (Where The Tyger's text alludes to The Lamb, Tavener quotes The Lamb's music to wonderful effect.) The two hymns to the Mother of God are models of reverent beauty; Song for Athene, made world-famous at Princess Diana's funeral, is spellbinding. --Matthew Westphal, Editorial Reviews
Last Updated (Wednesday, 26 December 2012 12:55)