John Tavener: Lament for Jerusalem

John Tavener (Composer), Jeremy Summerly (Conductor), Peter Crawford (Performer), Angharad Gruffydd Jones (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Peter Crawford, Angharad Gruffydd Jones
• Conductor: Jeremy Summerly
• Composer: John Tavener
• Audio CD (March 21, 2006)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B000EBEGZA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,028 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tavener Fans rejoice, indeed., July 7, 2006

By 

Lorin Kee (Thompson's Station, TN United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: John Tavener: Lament for Jerusalem (Audio CD)

I like the description on the back of the album:

"it is both a cri de coeur at the loss of peace in a place where religions once co-existed in harmony, and an affirmation of the power of love to bring together all 'who seek God, from whatever tradition they come'". Thus, Tavener's work remains more spiritual/mystical than "religious".

It is a beautiful album. The transcendent highs at the end of every Lament are somewhat reminiscent of Tavener's Funeral Canticle. Darkness into Light will always be my favorite Tavener album. However, I'm sure this one will take its place near the top.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Made me an instant Tavener fan, November 22, 2008

By 

Eric S. Kim (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: John Tavener: Lament for Jerusalem (Audio CD)

"Lament for Jerusalem" is the first CD that I ever bought from Tavener. And it certainly won't be the last (I'm now looking forward to "Ikon of Eros," "The Protecting Veil," etc.). I started to fall in love with this piece the moment the choir sang the first few words on the first track. "Lament For Jerusalem" consists of seven cycles; all of them contain a 'stanza' and a 'cosmic lament'. The basic structure to each cycle is repetitive: the basic orchestration is the same. But once we get through the first few cycles, then we get a stronger and more concrete emotion for the English/Greek text. The last cycle brings about one of the most powerful piece of music I've ever heard. It ranks with Stravinsky's "Symphony of Psalms" and Brahms's "German Requiem" as powerful choral music. I can't wait to hear some more of Tavener's work.

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathless, July 3, 2011

By 

Bill Falls - See all my reviews

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This review is from: John Tavener: Lament for Jerusalem (Audio CD)

A month ago I attended a breathtaking performance of Tavener's "Lament for Jerusalem" by Cathedra, the professional choir of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. I bought this CD by the Choir of London hoping to recreate that experience at home. I needn't have worried - The choir handles Tavener's close harmonies and emotional intensity beautifully. I'd love to sing this piece but I suspect that few choirs anywhere are up to its musical challenges. I've been lucky enough to listen to two that can.

I've been a lukewarm Tavener fan, lumping his music with that of Pärt and others I perceive as background music: lovely but cloying. That's personal opinion and of course unfair. "Lament for Jerusalem" has guts and passion in addition to its technical difficulty, and I'm going to give my other Tavener CD's another listen.