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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Listening to Tavener's music requires not so much an open mind as one that has been emptied. Onto this blank slate, or tabula rasa, Tavener projects two sorts of basic materials: ecstatic melismas or slow-moving, simple chants. At first, the effects can be pleasant, as the popularity of discs such as The Protecting Veil no doubt attests; the sounds are usually sweet and often soothing. Soon, the lack of movement becomes evident, at which point listeners can either fall into appreciatively soporific contemplation or regard themselves as victims of a musical form of the ancient Chinese water torture. The use of period instruments and performers (most notably Patricia Rozario and Andrew Manze) changes nothing about the description offered above. Expert singers wail, a few delicate plucks of the harp are transferred to the theorbo, and such fanciful titles as "Petra: A Ritual Dream" suggest far more than they deliver. Listeners seeking mystically oriented music that goes beyond New Age pabulum might prefer to try Messiaen's Éclairs sur l'Au-Delà or Trois petites liturgies de la Presence Divine. --Paul Turok
Amazon.com
Eternity's Sunrise got a critical drubbing (see other review) when it was released in spring 1999--a puzzlingly strong response to such a gentle piece. In part, this was probably a reaction against the label's hype, but some fault lies with the composer as well. For example, in his booklet essay Tavener makes rather much of the work's text--a mystical poem by William Blake--yet he has set that text to music so slow and so high-lying that singing the words intelligibly is just about impossible. Add to this Tavener's bit about the instruments (in the balcony) representing heaven while the soloist (at floor level) represents the earthly believer--it's no surprise that cynical critics dismissed the whole thing as pretentious claptrap. Now that nearly a year has passed, maybe we can appreciate Eternity's Sunrise for what it is: a sweet, simple piece with two melodies that alternate like verses of a hymn. The Academy of Ancient Music's baroque strings really do shimmer, especially in combination with the handbells, and soprano Patricia Rozario sings with the same skill and aplomb she always brings to Tavener's demanding writing. If you just relax and float with the music, it can work magic (especially on repeated hearings), but it's a slight little gem that can't really bear the weight of the expectations placed on it (by its creator, among others) when it first appeared.
Other works on this disc are Funeral Canticle and Petra, a Ritual Dream (which has an fascinating--and intelligible--mystical text of its own, fatuous title notwithstanding), two pieces for baritone soloist and choir, and Song of the Angel, an ethereal tour de force duet for Rozario and violinist Andrew Manze. Then there's the stealth bomb: Sappho: Lyrical Fragments, a dissonant "modernist" composition (written in 1980) of the sort that audiences were reacting against when they embraced composers such as Tavener and Arvo Pärt. Most people inclined to buy this disc in the first place will probably hate this piece initially, but it deserves a chance: by the third and fourth hearings, you might be discovering many interesting twists of melody and instrumental colors. --Matthew Westphal
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting concept...new commission for Ancient Academy!,
By "ragamala78" (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tavener: Eternity's Sunrise (Audio CD)
Just the idea of this album should intrigue listeners: The Academy of Ancient Music commissions a new work to be on old instruments. Ideally it would strectch both the composers and the players...which I think is achieved.The title piece "Eternity's Sunrise" is so arrestingly beautiful that I have often shed tears listening to it. The piece eliminates all pretense and is just naked emotion. It doesn't even matter that the words to Blake's poem are unintelligble without a lyric sheet. One can readily understand this subtly shifting piece and the yearning of both composer and poet to reach the Heavenly Kingdom. The handbells coupled with orchestra provide the perfect platform for soprano Patricia Rozario's voice to soar (and it can REALLY soar.) "Song of the Angel" hinges on a concept foreign to western classical music (as much of Tavener's music does) in that it takes one word or a simple phrase and concentrates on it for the whole piece trying to bring both performer and listener into an exhalted spiritual state. While sounding nothing like it, it is similar in concept to druphad or qawwali singing...both traditions of religious devotion. Tavener hasn't Christianized those forms (because this piece sounds nothing like either of those) but they are similar in aim. It is somewhat similar to the "Jesus Prayer" in the Orthodox tradition in that it helps to have God ever-present in your conciousness. "Petra: A Ritual Dream" is one of the more musically uneventful pieces on the CD. There is certainly some beautiful moments, but it just doesn't stack up against the first two pieces. Lyrically, it is quite intriguing. This piece, and many other pieces on this CD touch on some of the more esoteric aspects of Eastern Christianity. "Sappho: Lyrical Fragments" is one piece that stands apart both lyrically and musically. When I say stands apart, I don't mean stands above. That's not to say that it is a bad piece, it is just not a superb piece. The content of the lyrics is quite different from the other in that this cleary stands outside of the Christian tradition. Not only that, but this piece is much more dissonant than others on the album. It is okay, but definately the worse piece on the disc. "Funeral Canticle" the last and longest piece on the disc is wondeful. Solemn and somber as the title would suggest, this piece suggests peace, rest, and eternal beauty. The piece contains some of most beautiful serene music I've ever heard in my life. I'm sure the fact that it was written for his dying father also had much to do with the pieces tender beauty. I think this piece ranks alongside Tavener masterpieces like "The Protecting Veil," "Akathist of Thanksgiving," "Village Wedding," "The Lamb," "The Repentant Thief," "Wake Up & Die" and many others. This disc is highly recommended and becomes more rewarding with every listen. This is certainly a departure from most western classical music, and even a departure from much of Tavener's work for that matter. It is more successful than not, and it is definately worth investing in.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Something interesting for Tavener fans...,
By A Customer
This review is from: Tavener: Eternity's Sunrise (Audio CD)
This CD has some things going for it- five tracks, all of which are premiere recordings; a chance to hear the very special sound of modern music played on baroque instruments; more superb interpretations of Tavener's solo soprano writing from Patricia Rozario; and an insight into the mystical qualities of Tavener's music (the booklet notes are by the composer himself). Tavener has offered his highest praise for the CD, and I agree with him that it is "beautiful". However, for many it may prove a touch tedious- I'm thinking in particular of "Funeral Canticle", which must surely be one of the 'ne plus ultras' of minimalist composition in that it is 24 minutes of the same pattern of chords (the Kliros) over and over and over, with refreshing but relatively shorter phrases at the start of each verse. On the other hand, I urge listeners to look at this piece in context before being too judgemental- it was originally composed (in bits) for the funeral of Tavener's father and it confronts that loss in a very calm and rational manner. A great piece for relaxation, I think- and you will be hard pushed to find a more heart-rending moment than the beginning of the first Kliros, when the strings join the voices in an abrupt yet touching change of key. Three other tracks are also minimal in content- "Eternity's Sunrise", "Song of the Angel" and "Petra: a ritual dream". Of those, the first is undoubtedly the most effective- it is the only work that was originally commissioned by the Academy of Ancient Music and Tavener takes advantage of their full range of instruments (whereas all the other works seem to feature strings only). Several bits also seem very familiar- the end of each verse of "Eternity's Sunrise" uses a melody from the earlier string quartet "The Hidden Treasure", whilst the fragmentary refrain sung by the chorus in "Petra" is a direct quotation of the anthem "As One Who Has Slept" (composed in the same year). The most remarkable track for me is "Sappho: Lyrical Fragments"- included by director Paul Goodwin as 'a complete change of style', this is a setting of an ancient Greek fantasy poem that is admittedly very discordant but effectively so. In it, there is certainly more variety than in all the others, though I wouldn't recommend this one for relaxtion- in places, it can be likened to the musical equivalent of an alcoholic stupor! The conclusive verdict: it's a fascinating CD, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is unfamilliar with John Tavener.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most relaxing clasical album in the world... ever!,
This review is from: Tavener: Eternity's Sunrise (Audio CD)
I once bought a 2 CD set with that title, but if the producers had listened to this CD, they would have had to call their product "The second most relaxing classical album..."This is tavener at his best, and probably one of his most accessable works. Those unfamiliar with Tavener should start here. Tracks 1-3 & 5 are very beautiful and is among the most tranquil music I've heard (and this includes most "New Age" music.) The lyrics that go along with the music are also very beautiful. Track 4 is more dark and sorrowful. Some people like it, for the change of pace. if you don't just program your CD player to skip it.
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