Search - Sir John Tavener: Fall and Resurrection / St. Paul's Cathedral Choir on DVD

A voice teacher and early music fan

George Peabody | Planet Earth | 03/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"JOHN TAVENER'S INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLICAL 'CREATION'.
"This could be called Tavener's 'Creation', an oratorio-like account of the Biblical tale beginning with the representation of primordial chaos. Tavener takes this story much further than Haydn...but like Haydn's 'Creation', this is a warmly mature work, epitomizing it's composer's style and personality. Tavener's richly exotic textures are beautifully evoked by Hickox." GRAMOPHONE. (Richard Hickox passed away several weeks ago and will be sadly missed by the world of music.)

'Fall and Resurrection' tries to encompass, in brief glimpses,the events which have taken place since the beginning of time, and before time. Therefore, if the listener does not approach this from a viewpoint that this is 'program music' in the truest sense of the word, much like the tone poems of Richard Strauss, then there can not be an understanding OR enjoyment of the music.

It would, in fact, be most helpful if the listener experienced the CD before the DVD (with the same performers), because I found that one has to focus completely on the music, itself, without the distraction of looking at the soloist, the instruments, the conductor and the occasional captions. However, after listening to the CD (maybe twice), the DVD is very enjoyable because it shows where all those interesting sounds originate.

The DVD is excellent: clear picture and sound and great shots of the soloists, conductor and chorus. The sounds that Tavener makes with the varied tone qualities of the instruments(some quite unusual) AND the voices bring to the fore his marvelous and creative writing. The vocalists are skilled and demonstrate their characterizations very well such as Adam and Eve (Rozario & Richardson). The voice of Michael Chance, as he sails up and down sometimes on quarter-tones, is outstanding in its flexibility and pitch accuracy!

Don't buy this if you can't enjoy something 'far-out', for I have found that Tavener's music is an acquired taste, but a taste that I have come to savor!


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