Out of the Night - Part: Magnificat; Tavener: Threnos, etc

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
While Arvo Pärt and John Tavener are usually mentioned in the same breath, their music doesn't sound at all similar. Pärt's music tends to be austere and abstract (like a monastery chapel or a Quaker meeting house), while Tavener freely uses lush melodies, major chords, and overtly pictorial themes (giving the impression of a brightly painted icon). This superb disc shows just how different their styles are--and where they begin to meet. Pärt's Magnificat is (stereo)typical of the composer: luminous but cool, avoiding any attempt to illustrate the text. In contrast, the Seven Magnificat Antiphons sound surprisingly warm, with fuller, more tonal writing; the much-recorded Fratres gets a relatively lush reading from Parrott's three cellists, sounding surprisingly reminiscent of Shostakovich or even Beethoven's late string quartets.

Meanwhile, those who associate Tavener's style with the sweet, gentle Song for Athene (performed at Princess Diana's funeral) may be shocked by the Canticle of the Mother of God. Over vibrant but often dissonant chords sustained by a choir, a soprano sings a fearsomely difficult solo part with techniques borrowed from Eastern Orthodox liturgical chant. At the other extreme, Threnos is a solemn lament for unaccompanied solo cello--as close to Pärt's ascetic style as Tavener gets. Ikon of the Nativity seems to bridge the gap, with a melody that could come straight out of Old Russian chant over a drone that mutates into a dissonant chord and back again. And then there's the recurring leitmotif, Out of the Night, a gentle, exquisitely simple setting for tenor and viola of the single word Alleluia--Tavener at his best. --Matthew Westphal

Tracks:

Magnificat
Out Of The Night (Alleluia)
Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen: O Weisheit
Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen: O Adonai
Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen: O Spross aus Isais Wurzel
Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen: O Schlussel Davids
Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen: O Morgenstern
Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen: O Konig aller Volker
Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen: O Immanuel
Out Of The Night (Alleluia)
Fratres
Canticle Of The Mother Of God
Out Of The Night (Alleluia)
Threnos
Out Of The Night (Alleluia)
Ikon Of The Nativity

Amazon.com

While Arvo Pärt and John Tavener are usually mentioned in the same breath, their music doesn't sound at all similar. Pärt's music tends to be austere and abstract (like a monastery chapel or a Quaker meeting house), while Tavener freely uses lush melodies, major chords, and overtly pictorial themes (giving the impression of a brightly painted icon). This superb disc shows just how different their styles are--and where they begin to meet. Pärt's Magnificat is (stereo)typical of the composer: luminous but cool, avoiding any attempt to illustrate the text. In contrast, the Seven Magnificat Antiphons sound surprisingly warm, with fuller, more tonal writing; the much-recorded Fratres gets a relatively lush reading from Parrott's three cellists, sounding surprisingly reminiscent of Shostakovich or even Beethoven's late string quartets.

Meanwhile, those who associate Tavener's style with the sweet, gentle Song for Athene (performed at Princess Diana's funeral) may be shocked by the Canticle of the Mother of God. Over vibrant but often dissonant chords sustained by a choir, a soprano sings a fearsomely difficult solo part with techniques borrowed from Eastern Orthodox liturgical chant. At the other extreme, Threnos is a solemn lament for unaccompanied solo cello--as close to Pärt's ascetic style as Tavener gets. Ikon of the Nativity seems to bridge the gap, with a melody that could come straight out of Old Russian chant over a drone that mutates into a dissonant chord and back again. And then there's the recurring leitmotif, Out of the Night, a gentle, exquisitely simple setting for tenor and viola of the single word Alleluia--Tavener at his best. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Immaculate.......2000-01-20

On this disc, directed ably by Andrew Parrott, the Taverner Choir produces a really strong performance of works by two of the leading names in contemporary sacred music- Arvo Part and Sir John Tavener. Their starting point is most intriguing- according to the notes, they aim to demonstrate that Tavener and Part couldn't be more different, although past reviewers (myself included) have been of the opinion that there's no telling their music apart. The title work, "Out of the Night" by Tavener, is a short but characteristic "dawn greeting" ceremony for viola and tenor soli, and somewhat oddly it is heard four times on the disc- suggesting that the disc ought really to be played as a whole rather than in bits, although there's nothing to stop you.... Also of interest by Tavener are his "Ikon of the Nativity", a beautiful Christmas work that is everything you would come to expect from him; and "Canticle of the Mother of God", which dates from one year before his conversion to Orthodoxy and sounds, if anything else, like late Stravinsky (hence he reaches forward and backward in a very rich piece of music that may take some getting used to by casual listeners). Part is also well-represented, opening the disc with his own unusual take on the canticle of the Mother of God and continuing after the first "Out of the Night" track with "Seven Magnificat Antiphons" and "Fratres", in which three outstanding cellists give a compelling performance. Indeed, the one thing that stands out about this disc is the performance. Parrott clearly knows what makes these composers tick, and milks some absolutely breathtaking singing from his choir (particularly in the Part "Antiphons", which in my opinion have never sounded as good on record as this). This CD is a must-have if you like either of these distinguished composers; if you seek an introduction to them, you could do worse than to get this. One of the finest releases of the new year- highly recommended!

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