For many years, John Tavener held firm in his allegiance to the Orthodox Christian faith, and his music reflected a strong mystical focus within the Byzantine and Russian traditions. Yet in his later years he appeared to modify his beliefs and adopted concepts from other world religions, so his theology and his music took on a more universal outlook. The Veil of the Temple is a large-scale choral work inspired by sacred music from around the world, and it brings together ideas drawn mainly from Hinduism, Islam, and ...
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For many years, John Tavener held firm in his allegiance to the Orthodox Christian faith, and his music reflected a strong mystical focus within the Byzantine and Russian traditions. Yet in his later years he appeared to modify his beliefs and adopted concepts from other world religions, so his theology and his music took on a more universal outlook. The Veil of the Temple is a large-scale choral work inspired by sacred music from around the world, and it brings together ideas drawn mainly from Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, embodied in rhythms and chants from those sources. This performance by the Choir of the Temple Church of London, the Holst Singers, and the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Stephen Layton, emphasizes the ethereal and otherworldly aspect of the score, and the resonant acoustics of the Temple Church give the singers and instrumentalists an aural halo that suggests the spirituality of the ancient texts and evokes their remoteness in time. Yet this is a long piece,...
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