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

Arvo Part (Composer), John Tavener (Composer), Andrew Parrott (Conductor), Claron McFadden (Performer), Leigh Nixon (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Claron McFadden, Leigh Nixon
• Conductor: Andrew Parrott
• Composer: Arvo Part, John Tavener
• Audio CD (January 11, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00003WGNL
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #240,035 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Immaculate, January 19, 2000

By 

Mark Swinton - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of the Night - Part: Magnificat; Tavener: Threnos, etc (Audio CD)

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!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Beautiful, August 2, 2009

By 

Karl W. Nehring (Ostrander, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out of the Night - Part: Magnificat; Tavener: Threnos, etc (Audio CD)

This is an absolutely beautiful recording of contemporary sacred choral music. The inclusion of an instrumental version of Pärt's Fratres amongst the choral settings is an inspired act of creative production. Those who do not think that contemporary music expresses beauty and heartfelt emotion would do well to audition this disk, which hath charms to soothe the savage beast.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely beautiful, December 16, 2007

By 

Tanis "Tanis Yvonne Somerville" (Seahurst, Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of the Night - Part: Magnificat; Tavener: Threnos, etc (Audio CD)

It may be considered an advantage or a disadvantage that in coupling the hypnotic and often static music of `Part" and `Tavener,' the ear is drawn to the similarity of the style of the two composers. Frates, which exists in many versions, is heard here in its comparatively spare instrumental scoring to make a centerpiece in what is essentially a choral program. The simplicity of the Magnificat setting is its prime virtue, but the Antiphons are more varied, although still very compelling when so beautifully sung and recorded.