John Tavener

[Peter]

The composer John Tavener has died today - sad loss, but he had suffered ill health for most of his life. Only recently I've been reading a biography and listening to his music.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/201...n-tavener-dies

[Quijote]

Sad news. Can't say I was ever a big, big, big fan, but the Protecting Veil was OK by me.
And Total Eclipse, that was another good piece - has a frightening opening with manic sax and timpani.

[Sorrano]

Sad news. Can't say I was ever a big, big, big fan, but the Protecting Veil was OK by me.
And Total Eclipse, that was another good piece - has a frightening opening with manic sax and timpani.

Yesterday I did listen to Protecting the Veil; Taverner is new to me as I have not had any exposure to his music. I will check out Total Eclipse, as well.

[Quijote]

Yesterday I did listen to Protecting the Veil; Taverner is new to me as I have not had any exposure to his music. I will check out Total Eclipse, as well.

You'll have a hard job finding anything from Total Eclipse on YouTube, Sorrano. If you want, PM me your home address and I'll see if I can't get a friend of a friend of a friend living near Dublin - a cousin of Michael - who knows some chap at the end of the road who just happened to find a burnt CD copy that had fallen off the back of a lorry. This posting will automatically self-destruct in about 60 seconds...
Cue: Da - Da - Da di Da - Da (5/8 or 7/8 time?)

[Sorrano]

Cue: Da - Da - Da di Da - Da (5/8 or 7/8 time?)

PM sent. We should try this a la Bartok: 5/8 + 7/8. Thank you!

[Quijote]

An impossible mission!

[Quijote]

By the way Sorrano, you're not interested in Total Eclipse because you read "manic sex and timpani", are you?

[Sorrano]

By the way Sorrano, you're not interested in Total Eclipse because you read "manic sex and timpani", are you?

Not exactly.


But where could I get a copy of that?

[Sorrano]

An impossible mission!

That is what I said when I first looked at Bartok's Mikrokosmos (sp?).

[Sorrano]

Last night I listened to Taverner's Total Eclipse. (Thanks to the illustrious Don!)

A work of that scope is not easy to analyze after a single hearing; however I do have some comments.

The opening of the work is marked by contrasting low and high pitches. This comes back several times through the work, ornamented, retrograde (high, low) and with the chorus. The spacial distance between the pitches reminded me much of Berlioz Requiem (can't remember offhand which section) where the trombone is pitted against the flute. It's an eerie, ethereal effect, which is duplicated by Taverner as well. I get the sense of timelessness. While listening the thought came into my head that the tempo itself was irrelevant; I do not really get a sense of rhythm, such as I might get in 19th Century work. Lontano by Ligeti is similar in that way, except that there are no pauses between events.

The work opens with the low, then high pitches, later the chorus sings a repeated phrase, but sequenced to a lower pitch each time. As the work comes to an end I hear the reverse, the chorus singing in a rising series of sequences.

I do not know much about Taverner, whether he was religious or not, but I have an idea of man reaching to God and God reaching back.

I do see what you mean about the opening, Quijote; there was another section with timpani that gave me a good start, well into the piece. I guarantee that it did not make me think about sex!

One effect I particularly liked was the bending of pitches, especially at the beginning.

[Peter]

Last night I listened to Taverner's Total Eclipse. (Thanks to the illustrious Don!)

A work of that scope is not easy to analyze after a single hearing; however I do have some comments.

The opening of the work is marked by contrasting low and high pitches. This comes back several times through the work, ornamented, retrograde (high, low) and with the chorus. The spacial distance between the pitches reminded me much of Berlioz Requiem (can't remember offhand which section) where the trombone is pitted against the flute. It's an eerie, ethereal effect, which is duplicated by Taverner as well. I get the sense of timelessness. While listening the thought came into my head that the tempo itself was irrelevant; I do not really get a sense of rhythm, such as I might get in 19th Century work. Lontano by Ligeti is similar in that way, except that there are no pauses between events.

The work opens with the low, then high pitches, later the chorus sings a repeated phrase, but sequenced to a lower pitch each time. As the work comes to an end I hear the reverse, the chorus singing in a rising series of sequences.

I do not know much about Taverner, whether he was religious or not, but I have an idea of man reaching to God and God reaching back.

I do see what you mean about the opening, Quijote; there was another section with timpani that gave me a good start, well into the piece. I guarantee that it did not make me think about sex!

One effect I particularly liked was the bending of pitches, especially at the beginning.

Yes he was a deeply religious man of the Eastern orthodox faith - incidentally his name is spelt without the 'r' in the middle, but he was a distant relation of the 16th century composer John Taverner - the 'r' got lost over the centuries! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Taverner

[Sorrano]

Thanks, Peter! I totally missed the absence of the letter "r".