5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tavener's First Opera, June 15, 2000
This review is from: Mary of Egypt (Audio CD)
This is a wonderful opera by Tavener, though like most of his works it can seem a bit tedious at first. For me I had to listen to Act I and come back later for Acts II, III, IV, and V.
This work is similiar in style to his other vocal works - it's in the style of an Ikon, and does not sound like what we typically think of as "opera".
This is my favorite of tavener's long works, due to some really spectacular moments - the "bless" duet in Act III, the totally instrumental (tone poem) of Act IV, and all of Act V. Throughout the opera there is an overtone singer who periodically chants the primary message of the opera ("The ways to salvation are more than one.") Throughout the opera the strings are sounding a major triad, which reminded me on first hearing of the cosmic "OM". (The CD also includes a commentary by Tavener where he confirms that I was essentially correct.)
The one major flaw of this work is that Act I seems far too long and it's in a very tedious ABABABAB... structure. However, once you get past the first act, the music becomes more interesting.
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