Thursday, July 13, 2006

Music by John Tavener

A leading figure in the world of 20th-century British music since he first shot to fame in the 1960s, Tavener's memorable choral and orchestral works reflect his deeply spiritual outlook and distinctive musical voice.

Patricia Rozario (soprano),
Vanbrugh Quartet, (Hyperion CDA 67217)


other links:
John Tavener : Akhmatova Songs
commissioned by the Cricklade Music Festival
Publisher Chester Music Ltd
Category Solo Voice(s) and up to 6 players
Year Composed 1993
Duration 20 Minutes
Orchestration Soprano/cello alt.: soprano and string quartet
Languages Russian
Availability Sale from Musicroom or Music Dispatch Explain this...
Discography Here...

Programme NoteThe six poems that I have chosen from Akhmatova were written at different periods in her life. The first three suggest her veneration of other poets - Dante, Pushkin and Lermontov, and Pasternak. In the central couplet she mistrusts praise of her own work. Then comes her own longing to write, as the Muse comes. The last poem Death looks forward to her own death (with the suggestion of a personal after-life); its inevitability and her own longing for it.In my settings for soprano and cello I have tried to reflect the deceptive simplicity of the verse, which stems from classical tradition. In the final song Death the musical material of the earlier songs is gathered together. Then the poet bids a painful farewell to her beloved homeland, and steps into the ‘cabin’ that has been particularly prepared for her.The Akhmatova Songs were commissioned by the Cricklade Music Festival and first performed on 28 September 1993 by Patricia Rozario and Steven Isserlis at St Sampsons Church, Cricklade. John Tavener
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